Lyra 'Energy' Fury (Rewriting)
by Univerce
Summary: Fire, explosions, trial, news reports. Lyra finally gets her uncle to keep her promise, and it's not much of a surprise where she ends up when he does, either. Especially when her uncle is the director of SHIELD. Ladies and Gentleman, Lyra Patricia Fury! (Being rewritten for stupid Sueness)
1. Chapter 1

Lyra 'Energy' Fury: Knowing Nothing

If it wasn't for the fact that my arms were _killing_ me, I'd have started slapping, punching, kneeing, and any other '-ing' word that meant doing damage, people left and right. Man, this hurts like hell! The burns on my arms have started acting up again, so here I am, sitting on a hospital bed, while yet another doctor examined the scar tissue and poked at the throbbing nerves. This is actually quite normal, really, believe it or not. As a matter of fact, this is probably the only doctor in the tri-state area that _hasn't_ been confused by my ordeal and pain.

Wondering why I have burn marks, right? Well, all things considered, it's natural. No, I didn't get caught in a house fire while the building was crumbling to the ground. And no, it wasn't some stupid campfire accident an idiot relative of mine caused, although I do have a small burn scar on my leg for that. Oh, no, these scars on my arms are just as sensitive as the rest of my skin, and the only reason they're there is because of an electrical current that naturally runs through my body. Although, electrical current may be a bit of a misguided description. I'm not too sure on what it is exactly, but that's the best I've come up with.

Now then, the doctor walks out of the room and leaves me with an overly concerned adoptive father and disgruntled step-mother. And I know that thought that just went through your head! This is not a Disney freaking story! So keep you bleeping mouth shut! Oh, and expect rather strange curse words, too.

The two of them had been called when I came into the hospital, considering they were my contacts on record for the hospital. I should change that sometime soon. Anyway, with them both staring at me, once more that feeling of being a five year old child fills me all over again. Who would've thought that I'd be in that self-conscious state again?

Honestly, what's so wrong with treating me like an adult? I make plenty of my own decisions, and them hearing about me being here only proves me right; I'm trying to take care of myself. Of course, the two of them see it differently; to them, I'm still dependent. How to change that?

"Are you listening?"

I flinch and look at my father, completely lost. He sighs dejectedly, shaking his head out of annoyance, fondness, and some other emotion I don't feel like pinpointing.

"Alright, where's my niece?"

"Uncle Nick!"

Before either of my parents can stop me, I bound out of the room and into the waiting arms of my uncle. As per usual, he's dressed in dark clothes, and his signature black trench coat is covering the majority of his muscles. Pushing me off him, he pulls a box out of his pocket and holds it out to me.

"Sorry it's late. Your birthday found me on the other side of the world and in India."

With a bright smile, I take the box and open it to a beautiful necklace. A sparrow pendant, my favorite bird in the world, is in a frozen flight attached to a silver chain. Made of a blue gemstone, it rests comfortably in a silver outline and backing. And I personally waste no time is clasping it around my neck with a goofy grin on my face. Admiring it against my dark blue shirt, my eyes glisten happily with forming tears. My uncle knows just what to do to make me happy.

Another hug for him! Evil bitch troller behind me, however, doesn't agree so much. I can just feel the distaste for my present oozing from her glare.

"Really? Another bird? Can't you find something a little more original?"

"Honestly, Nora, I don't have to. If it makes her happy, I'd buy her first handgun for her. But I believe her _real_ mother's last wish was that she grow up without knowing that particular type of violence," Nick growled. He never liked the woman in the first place, although he's perfectly alright with my adoptive father, as seen by the acknowledging nod to the man still in the exam room.

"Uncle! When do I get to go with you on vacation? You promised!"

My uncle's extremely rare smile appears on his face; small, yet noticeable if you've noticed it before. And I can tell something really amazing is about to happen.

"Actually, kiddo, that's why I'm here. Turns out, there's plenty of people just dying to meet you." A few mumblings follow afterward, but I'm not really listening to it; my mind's on the 'people dying to meet you' part. My face lights up, and the sound of the troller behind me scoffing in contempt just makes it all the more brighter. The next thing to leave my mouth:

"What do I need and when do we leave!?"

* * *

A woman with the most gorgeous red hair I've ever seen is waiting next to the black car in front of the hospital. Her jumpsuit is marked with that eagle logo that I've seen on my uncle's clothes a few times. Which make her a coworker, although that bright smile on her face is a little worrying; it seems somewhat forced and fake.

"Finally. Another girl joins the ship."

"Lyra," Uncles says. In case you're wondering, that's me. "This is Natasha Romanoff, an agent that I work with."

"Coworker number one," I bounce cheerily. "What's the bag?"

"You're clothes." I stare at her, lost. "I went to your house and packed a bag for you. Better than Tony doing it."

"He wouldn't dare," Uncle Nick states simply as he walks around the car and climbs into the driver's seat.

Natasha opens the front passenger door for me and climbs into the back with my bag. It feels a little weird knowing someone else packed for me, and it reminds me of _them_. They would always go through my suitcase when we went on a trip to make sure I didn't forget anything. Now, anytime I go anywhere, I usually stop by their memorial to say goodbye and promise that I'll be back. Which reminds me, before I get too far lost.

"Hey, Uncle?"

My uncle nods to me and takes a turn at the first stop light we comes to, knowing exactly what I want. When we stop outside the cemetery gates, I can feel Natasha's curiosity from the back seat.

"We'll be right here. Don't take too long," my Uncle says as he relaxes in his seat.

Without another, word, I climb from the car and go through the gate.

* * *

"Director?"

"Her parents' graves."

Natasha Romanoff stares at the gate as it closes behind Lyra Fury. That niggling doubt in the back of her mind surfaces as she sees the burns on the girl's arms. The file that SHIELD has on Lyra Patricia Fury is riddled with accidents, fires, and the occasional explosion, not to mention deaths and trials. This girl, the niece of the director of SHIELD, has a rather extraordinary ability, of which she still isn't aware of.

"Do you plan on adding her to the team, sir?"

Nick Fury sighs, a feeling of helplessness in his heart. "I have no choice but to. It's become rather clear to the board that she has an extraordinary gift, and me trying to hide her won't work anymore."

Natasha Romanoff stares at her director incredulously. In her entire career, she'd never heard of him hiding anything besides government secrets. Nor had she ever heard him sound so upset or worried; she actually had never heard an emotion outside of annoyance, anger, or calm from the man.

* * *

"Mom! Dad!" I shout as I run up the hill in excitement.

There, at the top, overlooking the entire cemetery, just like they wanted, is their graves. The SHIELD logo is engraved on my fathers, a few roses and an eagle on my mother's. Both are made of that pure white marble, which was somehow tempered to be erosion resistant. I never asked Uncle Nick how he'd managed that, but I'm grateful nonetheless.

"I'm finally going on a trip with Uncle! And I know what you're gonna say, Mom. 'It's too danger' or 'Don't you dare.' But it's alright! I know you want me safe and secure, with no worries about people being hurt or worse. That's not right, though," I whisper to the stones in front of me. "Telling me not to worry will only cause me to worry more. So I'm going to do the only thing I can think of: I'm going to help Uncle with his work!"

And with that said, I kiss both graves, say 'I love you. Bye!' and am off down the hill and back to the car. Once in the passenger's seat again, with my seat belt buckled, my Uncle is driving down the road. My eyes watch as the buildings pass me by, each one reminding me more and more that I'm finally leaving with my Uncle.

* * *

"One more thing before we get there, Lyra."

I look at my uncle with a curious and all-believing gaze. He would never lie to me, so I have no reason to doubt the man.

"Only a few people on that ship will know who you are, alright? I'll let you know who they are later, but from now on, while with the SHIELD team, you are Lyra Terry. Got it?"

"You betcha, sir!" I cheer happily and mock salute.

There's that nearly unnoticeable smile again.

I truly do understand. Uncle doesn't want anyone knowing me, which means that he's not my uncle around other people. He'll be his usual working self, and I'd better be ready to see just what he's like. Of course, that also means he has to be his usual work self with me, too. That may become a bit of a problem, because I'm prone to fits of tears when my feelings are torn at enough.

"So, then, Lyra. You'll be sticking with me, kay?"

I nod happily to the woman behind me, knowing her face hasn't changed.

"Who else will know?"

"You'll meet them on the ship," Uncle states, ending the discussion.

* * *

Woah… that's all I got… Woah…

The helicarrier that Uncle had driven to is huge. And I've gotten some strange looks already, probably because Uncle had been the one driving. On the way here, he'd told me exactly who he is on this particular flying ship; he's the boss. And everyone here knows it. As a result, he doesn't usually disappear at any given time to do personal errands, and the one he'd just done, which was collecting me, has been passed off as a recruitment meeting.

Natasha is right beside me, my bag still in her hand, although I tried to take it from her, and walking quickly, quietly, and as a complete professional. Somehow, I think I may have picked the wrong promise to force my uncle to keep. Something just doesn't feel right. But I shake that feeling anyway and race after my uncle and Natasha.

The two of them walk up the ramp into a door, not slowing down as I race up behind them, trying to keep up with their quick strides. I've never really been one for fast pace unless it was necessary. Finally, the two of them stop.

"Agent Romanoff, I'm leaving her with you," Uncle Nick says coolly.

He gives me a meaningful glance and walks into a room, from which I can hear an argument about a 70 year old virgin. Not quite sure about that one, but whatever. Natasha turns to me with a forced smile and says to follow her for a little longer. Thankfully, she's a little more hospitable now and walks a slower pace for me to keep up with.

Every door we pass and ever hallway we see is the same, and I sort of wonder how she knows where she's going. Ooo! Kitchen! The idea of making cake, cookies, brownies, and any other dessert or pastry makes me giddy. Hopefully I can get in there soon. The next door we pass is a longer ways down the corridor than usual, and a double door. Above it is the word 'Cafeteria.' Yay! Lunch place!

It then occurs to me that she walked by it on purpose, and I smile shyly. "Thank you." She smiles back at me and keeps walking.

After an hour of walking around, in which I saw the food place, the training place, the lab place, which had a guy with glasses working inside, and a place with a giant open space in it. A little discomforting, but Natasha explained that the space was originally a containment facility for problematic people… Like some guy named Loki…

Seriously? Who the hell name's their kid Loki? That's just asking for abuse and bullying.

Finally… My room! It's simple, really. A bed on the left with a door in the back to a bathroom. A dresser is set beneath a square outline on the wall, which Natasha informs me is a flat screen TV set behind a sliding panel. Push it, and the panel moves… yeah, that's getting a lot of use soon.

But one thing that doesn't seem rather normal, judging by Natasha's stare, is the box on the dresser. It's got a bow on it, and it looks like yet another birthday present; the tag on it says so. But before I can open it, Natasha stops me.

"You don't know what that is, and there's no sender. I'm gonna take it with me for Banner to look at, just in case."

"Eh!? But it's my birthday present! I wanna open it!"

I start flailing my arms wildly like a little kid. Sure, I'm doing it on purpose, and because I'm trying to be annoying, but still. The fact is that I want my present! And I want it NOW! So I continue flailing my arms and bawling, until finally she starts rubbing her temple and holds out the box.

With a cheery giggle, I take the box and tear off the paper. Pulling open the lid, I see a ball… Really? A ball? And it's not even a bouncy ball! Looking at it closely, I can see stuff swirling around inside it. Taking it out of said box, I examine it closely with wonder. The surface is glass and it looks like gray smoke inside of it. Immediately, as I start to wonder who gave it to me, a darkened face with a smirk breaks through the smoke as the person walks down a street.

"What is this thing?" I ask as I stare at the person.

Natasha comes closer and stares into it as well. The darkened face looks over and it's almost like the person is staring at me. With a shock, I drop the ball, letting it hit the floor. Whatever it is, I sure as hell don't want to pick it back up.

"Lyra?" Natasha picks the ball up herself, staring into it.

"Yeah?"

"Can I take this to Banner now?"

I nod blankly and hear her leave the room. My bag sits next to the dresser, the box still in my other hand. A swift shiver runs along my spine and I shake my head to clear away a rather unsavory thought.

"So you're the new kid!"

Jumping, the box falls from my hand and I stare at the open doorway. What I see is both amazing and annoying. I've heard plenty about this guy; a player with no regard to the girls, flirtatious and most certainly not someone my uncle would want me near. But my parents… well, they were good people so I've force myself into that persona as well. A small smile on my face, I nod.

"Sure," I say sweetly. "Let's go with that."

Tony Stark, the billionaire, philanthropist, playboy, and to me, idiot stands in my doorway, leaning against the frame. He quirks an eyebrow in question, but I shove him off the doorframe before he says anything.

"Cut it out, Tony. You shouldn't even be near her room," said another new face, who I somehow recognize but can't really place.

"Steve Rogers, miss. You'll have to ignore Stark; he can get ahead of himself."

I smile brightly and nod; I think I like this guy. He's polite, cute, and he doesn't smell like liquor, which is currently infuriating me. The two of them have begun a back and forth argument, in which I'm not participating but still thoroughly enjoying.

"Stark! Rogers! What are you two doing?"

Uncle! Unfortunately, I must restrain myself from bounding up and giving the man a hug, like I usually do. He seems a lot more fierce now than when I usually see him, too, so that's giving me somewhat of an advantage against my impulses.

"Nothing, sir," Steve responds with a salute. "Just saying hello to the new recruit.

"About that," I mutter, gaining everyone's attention. "Why exactly am I a new recruit?"

"Did Agent Romanoff not explain it?" my uncle says with annoyance.

My shoulders move into a shrug. She did say something about me helping out around here, but I was too busy staring at the rooms and thinking about food. I've got something of a one-track mind. Uncle squeezes the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger before simply walking away. Tony looks at me incredulously, then smirks, a glimmer in his eyes.

"So, kiddo," he says smoothly, "wanna tell me how you got Fury to be gentle with you?"

"Huh?"

Steve looks at me quizzically before nodding his head. "He's right. Fury would usually start a lecture on incompetence and attention. How'd you manage to escape that when you only just met him?"

"Oh! That's because-" I start before slapping my hands over my mouth. I doubt either of these two are supposed to be the people who know who I am.

Tony raises an eyebrow, his expression calculating, before realization dawns on him and he claps my shoulder. The broad grin on his face makes me wary, and I immediately brush his hand off. Steve stares between us, lost on what just happened.

"Welcome aboard, kiddo! You have no idea how long I waited to meet you!" Tony cheers happily. "I think we need to introduce you to everyone, and there's sure as hell gonna be a party for it!"

Party?

* * *

Tony Stark throws one hell of a party. How exactly he convinced my uncle, though, I'm not sure I want to know. Hopefully it was just dumb luck and today was a holiday anyways. Well, whatever! Standing on the balcony of Stark Tower, I couldn't really care less.

"So, kiddo," comes Tony's voice from the doorway.

I turn to him, my eyes bright and a smile on my face. "What's up, Tin Man?"

Tony scoffs. "You heard too much about Thor's brother."

"That I did. And although I agree, he's a dick and an idiot, I believe his nicknames for all of you to be quite hilarious."

Tony grimaces for a moment before his face turns bright with a grin. "Whatever! Now then! Tell, Ms. Fury, what brings you to SHIELD?"

My eyes meet Tony's, diving into the depths for a moment, before I open my mouth to speak. "Because I want to be here."

The look on Tony's face is of pure disbelief. "You have no idea what SHIELD is, do you?"

I smile brightly. "Nope! But I want to help my uncle, and if he's a part of SHEILD, I see no reason not to join in. I love my uncle, and he loves me. That's all there is to it!"

The billionaire playboy shakes his head sadly. "Unfortunately, kiddo, there's a lot more to it."

He motions for me to follow him, leading me away from the party and down several sets of stairs. At the bottom is a workshop, and my eyes widen as I take in a wall of Iron Man suits, each one ready for takeoff at any moment. Each part of the armors shine brightly, as if knowing they were doing the world good just by existing.

"Pretty cool, right?"

I nod my head and take a deep breath. "I've always thought the color scheme was a bit off, though." His scoffing behind me makes me smile. "So you want people to scream 'Go Gryffindor' every time you fly past them?"

The sound of a chuckle, followed by banging metal and a curse, make me turn around. A smirk plasters itself onto my face. Tony Stark is glaring at a machine with a hand, most likely a robotic assistant, and rubbing the side of his head.

"Something wrong, Mr. Stark?"

He glares at me, amused. "Never thought of that."

"It sometimes takes a stupid person to open up a genius perspective."

A bright grin grows on the man's face and he beckons me over to a monitor. See through and touch screen, it's rather impressive, but what's truly awesome is that Tony flicks his hand on it and a 3d file image shows up on a holographic projector a little ways away. Man, now I want one!

"When do I get a cool toy like that?"

Tony laughs wholeheartedly. "If you want, I'll make you a suit, for a price," is his answer, along with a suggestive wink.

One slap over the head later, we're going through a file on SHEILD exploits and operations. Assassinations and weapon development, espionage and personnel information, he has it all. I'm starting to understand why, about a year ago, my uncle told me he wouldn't be able to visit as often as he used to. He probably started dealing with Tony and the tech genius's little 'hobby,' as he like to call it.

"I'm guessing you'll get in a lot of trouble if I tell Uncle, right?"

Tony looks at me amused. "Well, yeah. But it's not like he can do anything."

I smirk and raise my eyebrows at him. Tony immediately realizes his mistake; he just gave me blackmail material. But there is something bothering me. The files in the system included one with my name on it. My new pervert friend had steered me far away from it, denying my access to the file. Now might be a good time to practice blackmail.

"My file, Richie Rich. Open it," I demand with a cross of my arms and a deadpan stare.

Tony smirks and shakes his head. "Or what?"

"Or…" I roll my eyes left and right for a few moments, trying to pick a scenario. "Or I tell Uncle and give him a plan of action! You'll be disciplined, and you'll probably lose every last ounce of liquor in this place."

His face pales and he instantly starts running through the files and back to mine. He swipes the screen, sending the file into the holographic projector and turns to leave. Before he goes through the door, though, he turns back with a sad and knowing smile.

"Just try not to be too upset, alright?" I raise an eyebrow and look at the hologram file. "Sometimes people feel like they _have_ to lie to the ones they love."

I turn back to him and nod, then return my attention to the file and pull it open. As the sound of the door closes, I pick a random surveillance video from when I seven. Rather strange, really, because it's of a sports competition; I'm playing softball and it's my miracle game where I pretty much carried the entire team by hitting home run after home run. The umpires mercy ruled the game and my coach was accused of cheating, while I was dragged off by my parents in a rush to the car. No matter what I tried afterwards, though, I just couldn't hit another home run.

The next thing I pull up is another video from when I was ten. It's a school talent show and I'm playing the violin, which my teacher had told me would be pointless, since I didn't have an ounce of musical talent. And yet, I won the trophy by playing the Devil's Trill, an extremely difficult piece created by the composer Tartini, and rumored to be the omen of possession of the devil himself. But after that performance, I could never replicate the sounds; I broke quite a few violin strings trying. I did, however, figure out how to play the violin in general.

My next choice was from my high school graduation, which I don't really remember all that well. And the video explains why. Right as I shake hands with my education district's chairman, the camera light flashing, I change. The hair that is usually a bright orange darkens to pure black and the arm of the man I'm shaking hands with snaps; I didn't move.

A glow is resting itself around my hand as I release the chairman of the board of education for my district. Then, my attention turns to those around me as a few people start screaming and some men come up to restrain me. They, too, suffer injuries at some unknown force. As the damages increase, fear, panic, and screams abound from everywhere. Flames burst from nowhere as the camera moves about, trying to get closer to me. Finally, the video just stops altogether.

My eyes watch the timer on the video continue until it reaches ten minutes and the picture returns, showing me bound and restrained, thrashing around on a pile of debris. There had obviously been an explosion. Before it can continue, though, a hand reaches past me and stops the video.

"Like I said," Tony says sadly, "sometimes people feel like they _have_ to lie."

My eyes stare off at nothing as I replay his words in my head. No, I'm not angry. No, I'm not upset. I'm not quite sure what I am, right now. Somewhere between broken and whole. After all, I just found out how my parents died; their bodies had been in the background images as I thrashed around on a pile of debris.

* * *

I down the 15th beer with ease, Tony and Clint having trouble keeping up. Tony had dragged me from his workshop and demanded a drinking contest. Thor was immediately disqualified, along with Steve, and Natasha and Bruce both said 'Hell no.' Naturally, that just left us. So, while Jarvis drops beers on the table from a tube and onto the table, somehow not breaking them, the three of us are downing them as best we can. And I'm currently winning.

Clint looks like he's about to fall backwards from his chair, and Tony's head is falling-

"Tony!"

His head just slammed on the table and he falls from his seat onto the floor. A startled Pepper picks him up and calls for Thor to give her a hand. Which leaves me and birdbrain, who's eyeing me suspiciously.

"How the… hell… are you this good?"

I smirk. "I don't know what you mean," I reply smoothly and unslurred while downing my 16th beer.

He tries to do the same, but since he's only on his 11th, it's pretty clear that he's going to fail without catching up. So I pick up my 17th, and last, beer and down it quickly before standing up and moving behind Clint. His hands lose their grip and the beer bottle drops on the table as he begins to fall back. With a roll of my eyes, I hold out my arms, and feel his entire torso fall into them.

"You're not as heavy as you look," I say, although he's still heavy enough to give me some difficulty.

Bruce walks in and smiles softly, seeing me having trouble. "Need a hand?" I grin at him and nod. "I suppose this makes you reigning champion, now. Clint's held that title for a while."

"I wonder if I could outdrink the demi-god?"

Bruce's soft chuckle makes me smile. He's a sweetie, and I could honestly see him as a brother figure with no problem. Steve has that same aura as well, albeit slightly more protective; he almost tore me from my drinking seat. With a bright smile to Bruce, we lift Clint onto our shoulders and carry him to his room. Once that's done, and I slipped the marksman into bed, we leave him alone to sleep himself into a hangover.

Speaking of which.

The next morning is chaotic and grumpy. Everything's clean, thanks to Jarvis, and the only problem is the looks on Clint and Tony's faces. Both of them look miserable, and both have icepacks on their heads. Slapping my hand over my mouth, I stare at the both of them while holding back an obnoxious laugh.

"Good morning, Miss F-"

"Lyra, Jarvis!" I say quickly. Clint and Tony both flinch at the loudness of my voice and glare at me.

"Very well, Miss Lyra. Would you care for an aspirin?"

"No, but thank you, Jarvis. I'll be fine."

Both boys' faces change drastically to one of disbelief.

"Jarvis?" Tony asks cautiously.

"Yes, sir?"

"Do a drink count for the drinking contest last night. Who won?"

After a second of silence, Jarvis comes over the room's speakers. "Seven for you, sir. 15 for Clint," who, at the mention of his number, smiled happily, "And 28 for Miss Lyra."

"Wow… Really? I could've sworn I only drank 17…"

"I do believe, sir, that makes Miss Lyra the winner."

The boys at the table have dropped their ice bags and are staring at me, horror written in every line of their faces. It's as if they were staring at a monster. I merely shrug my shoulders at the attention.

"No more drinking games for you!" Tony shouts as he stands up with such force that his chair topples back and slams to the floor.

The sound makes both of them grasp their heads in pain. Immediately, a cabinet opens and a turnstile rotates to a set of medicine. Moving over and taking a closer look, I see an assortment of aspirins of differing strengths. Considering how they're acting, I do believe max is appropriate at this time. Taking the bottle from the cabinet, I see the glasses door fly open. With two of those in my hand, I hold each under the faucet as it turns on and off automatically at Jarvis's command.

"Thank you, Jarvis," I say happily as I place the glasses before each of them and distribute two pills to both of them.

"You're welcome, Miss Lyra."

With the aspirin in front of them, both boys sigh in relief and swallow the pills whole, then drink the entire glasses that sit in front of them. It's rather comedic, really, how they react as everyone else gets up from sleeping in. As a matter of fact, I'm quite surprised that we all slept in past noon. I've never been one for sleeping in like that; I enjoy my usual routine.

* * *

"So, you think Lyra has telekinesis?" Bruce asks skeptically. "How would SHIELD have missed her the entire time?"

"That, my dear bro," Tony says with mock annoyance, "is a complete mystery."

"Bullshit it is," Clint scoffs with an ice pack still on his head.

Lyra is currently in her room, trying on a jumpsuit that Natasha had brought down with her. The entire Avengers team is in the living room, minus one Thor who went back to Asgard for an emergency, discussing her and her abilities.

"Jarvis, roll the tape."

"Yes, sir."

On the flat screen mounted on the wall, a computer desktop pops up and files immediately begin to open left and right, leading to a file labeled Lyra Terry. Tony had respectfully changed the folder's name at the director's insistence; the man's desperation in his eyes had been completely foreign to Stark. Once the file opens up completely, multiple video windows open as well, depicting a number of events in the woman's life.

One is of a softball game, where she hits home run after home run. Another has her playing the Devil's Trill perfectly and without mistake. On the far left is one at a mall, where explosions are occurring left and right in what appears to be a terrorist attack. In the bottom right corner is a video showing a vacation on a beach and some rather amazing waves as she surfs along the water. Behind these main videos are numerous others showing court hearings in which she testified, along with news reports containing her name and information.

"Holy crap," Natasha whispers. "What the hell is Fury thinking? This girl is more of a problem than Bruce."

"Sir. Should I pull up the last video?"

Tony stares at the file the mouse is currently hovering over, labeled 'HS Graduation Incident.' With a final sigh, he gives the go ahead and the entire footage of her rampage during her graduation day is revealed to the entire team, minus one Asgardian. They all watch in horror as people are flung everywhere, bones broken, necks snapped, splintered wood impaling people left and right. And Natasha's words finally sink in.

"She's just like me," Bruce whispers in pain, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "They probably have a cage for her on that flying ship, too."

Tony leans against the wall next to the flat screen. "They don't have a separate one, but they did replace your old one, so I assume it could be dual purposed. Doubt they'll use it, though."

"And why is that?" Steve asks hesitantly.

"I can't say," Tony sighs. "Fury has me under an oath of silence."

"You? Keeping a promise to be quiet?" Bruce asks, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Where this kid's concerned, I'd say that promise is justified. I'm sure the two will talk when they believe it's necessary."

"Tasha~!" Lyra's voice rings out from down the hall. "I can't get the zipper in the back!" A girl bounces into the room, a jumpsuit fitting her figure loosely. "Can you get it for me?"

Her hair is bouncing and waved, and the color shines calmly in orange. Her eyes are shining in a bright and happy hazel-green mixture, disappearing only when she notices the video on replay. Tony sees the screen as well and slams the power button. With her head down, the girl rushes back down the hall and everyone hears the door slam.

"Anyone want a shot at getting that shine back?" Tony asks.


	2. Chapter 2

Do I Really Need This?

A knock at my door brings me from a nostalgic dream. My mother, father, and I were at the table for my fifth birthday, a few kids gathered around to watch me blow out the candles. With one wish, and a rather stupid one at that, I blow out all five. What did I wish for? That I could be special. Although my parents told me I was so often, I just didn't feel like it; I suppose not being special would have been a good thing.

According to the video in Tony's archives, it's my own fault my parents are gone; my own fault that my high school graduation, which had been publicly announced as a terrorist attack, was completely ruined. Every little thing I saw on that screen out there is my own fault.

"Lyra?"

"What, Bruce?"

"Is it alright if I come in?"

A smirk plays across my lips. "It's not like I'm naked, so I'm sure you're fine."

I could feel the amusement as the door opens to let in the good doctor. "I'm sure I am, too, but just in case…"

A sad smile graces my lips as Bruce walks up to the side of my bed where I lay and sits on it. He fiddles with his own hands, no doubt trying to find a place to start. I've got millions, so I could give him a hand, but I'm honestly just too lazy to do so right now. If anything, my guilt just means I need to be left alone right now; looks like I failed to drown it in alcohol last night.

"Listen, Lyra, alright?"

My head turns to Bruce as he smiles softly at me. "Alright," I mutter, somewhat like a child.

"There's nothing wrong with you. And you aren't a horrible person."

"Neither are you," I retort.

He flinches and a sadness crosses his face. "Yeah, well, I've been aware of my problem from the start, so my situation is a little different from yours right now."

"No it's not." He glances at me skeptically before returning to his hands. "You're human, just like me. You're not a monster that hides under the bed or in a closet. There aren't fangs anywhere on you. No claws take your nails' places. Every aspect of you is human; you just happen to be harder to kill than most."

His soft laugh makes me smile. "Yeah… Well you literally took my little pep talk for you and threw it right back in my face," he laughs while shaking his head. He then eyes me critically. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" I ask with a soft smile.

"How did you manage to hide from SHIELD so well? According to Tony, most of the reports and information stored in the SHIELD network on you has only recently been collected, just after your graduation."

My face falls at the mention of my parents' death date. Bruce sees this and mutters an apology.

"My parents used to tell me that I was special, y'know?"

Bruce looks at me with understanding in his eyes. "Most parents do tell their kids that."

"They do… And they should. Each child is as special as the next, if not more. But I never really noticed the sadness and pain in their eyes when they said it. At least, not until I woke up in a hospital bed with my uncle hovering over me. That was a week after their deaths, and the entire time my head replayed every moment where they told me just how special I was."

"Your uncle?"

I nod and move past it. "The first time I visited their graves, I noticed the SHIELD motif on my father's grave. It makes sense, really. He and my uncle both worked for SHIELD. Uncle still does."

"Really? Which agent? I don't think I've met a Terry yet."

I shake my head with a laugh. "I changed my name when I lost my parents. My adoptive parents' names are Terry. Uncle thought it a better idea."

"Why did you need adoptive parents? You had graduated high school already."

"My adoptive father is my godfather. The adoptive mother, or bitch troll, as I like to call her," I mumble with a smirk, "married him a year after my godfather formally adopted me."

"Huh… And your uncle?"

"What about him?"

"Who is he? I think I'd have remembered meeting someone with your kind of eyes."

A smirk grows on my face and I laugh. "Sorry, jolly green. Not telling."

Bruce rolls his eyes, smiling softly. "No more Tony time for you."

"Hey! I heard that!"

The both of us burst into laughter as Tony's voice breaks over the intercom. While Bruce falls over onto the floor, I curl up into a ball on my bed.

"Ha ha, you two. Now both of you get out here! Fury's on conference call with us and it's time for a meeting!"

* * *

Uncle's face is on the flat screen… and damn does he look intimidating with that glare and scowl. As I enter the room, I see it only for a moment, until his eyes move to me and he sighs, his face finally easing up.

"Good of you two to finally join us."

"Sorry, U- Director." Tony looks at me with a smirk, and I glare back. "Shut it, Tin Man."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it!"

"Enough, you two."

I cross my arms and turn my head in a huff, somewhat like a child, but minus the puffed cheeks and pouting lip.

"Now, then. Thor has informed Dr. Selvig that he will be returning soon, and that Loki's punishment has been changed from what it had been."

Everyone perks up at this, y'know, minus me. I'm lost.

"What happened?" Clint asks, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Well," Uncle says, rubbing his temple. "I guess he saved them a great deal of trouble or something. My bet is he's trying to regain enough trust so he can get here and deal some damage. Unfortunately, according to Selvig's warning, the fools on Asgard have fallen for it. He's on his way to Earth."

The entire room bursts into shouts and yells about stupidity, ridiculousness, and Tony's many insulting compliments towards Asgardians. For some reason, Bruce seems to actually be more along the lines of thinking than anything, as he's only listening to the noise instead of making any.

"Quiet!" Uncle's loud voice demands through the speakers, shutting everyone up. "Thor is bringing his brother with him from Asgard. The punishment was not cancelled, merely amended. Lyra."

I look at my uncle, waiting for him to continue. "Be wary of this guy. You haven't seen the havoc he can wreck."

My head bobs with finality. Uncle never steers me towards a bad choice; not if he can help it. If he thinks this guy needs to be avoided, then avoided he'll be. The others stare at me for a moment, and I look back, flashing a bright smile.

"The rest of you!" Their eyes turn back to the screen. "Keep an eye out. Thor should be arriving sometime today, and I'd rather still have out newest recruit around tomorrow morning."

With that subtle order of 'protect her or else,' my uncle's video feed closes from the screen to show a list of files under my name. I stare at the one labeled 'HS Graduation Incident' for a few seconds before addressing Jarvis.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Play 'HS Graduation Incident.'"

Everyone's breath hitches as the video plays once more, showing me exactly what I can do. It also gives me the last motivation I need.

"Bruce?" I whisper quietly.

He looks at me in worry. "Yeah?"

"How do I control it?"

His eyes divert from me, staring at the ground, and he can't seem to bring himself to answer me. It's rather unnerving, when the one person who can fit in your shoes can't give you an answer that they themselves should have, and need.

* * *

I'm on the roof of Stark Tower, laying back and watching the clouds pass by. My jumpsuit is rather tight, but Natasha insisted that I wear it all day, to get used to the feel of it. The necklace my uncle had given me yesterday is between my thumb and forefinger as I rub the smooth surface of the pendant. In the shape of a sparrow, I feel like it belongs there.

For some reason, my eyes squint at the clouds, recognizing the color shifting, before finally lightning strikes. And I could've sworn it was going to hit _me_! Thankfully, it strikes a few feet away, only making me squeal and jump up to my feet, tossing myself behind a vent in the ceiling. Looking up over the metal, I see two people, both wearing an identifying piece of clothing Tony had referred to as 'their mother's drapes and curtains.'

Slapping my hand over my face, I drop back behind the large vent hood before they see me. Trying to hold back my laugh, I just can't stop myself from falling over from my hiding spot in hysterical laughter. The memory is just too much. Tony, in a way of demonstration, had taken a set of curtains from a window and thrown them around his shoulders, strutting around the tower for a good half hour. As I curled up in a ball, holding my cramping stomach, Thor stares at me in bewilderment.

"Lady Lyra? What are you doing on the roof of the Tower of Stark?"

I just laugh harder, wheezing as I try to catch my breath. A chuckle reaches my ear, and I can tell someone find my current predicament rather amusing.

"Lady Lyra?"

Thor has crouched beside me as I suck in air, trying to restore the missing oxygen in my lungs. "Yes?"

"What's the matter?"

"Mother's, heh, drapes."

And I go back into laughter rolling back and forth at the memory once more.

* * *

"Well, so much for keeping her away from Loki," Clint mutters.

"Got to admit, she's got some really bad luck."

Since Thor and Loki had landed on the ceiling, Loki had found the newest SHIELD agent rather interesting. As a result, he's been asking her a great deal of questions about herself. This had led to numerous rescues by Steve and Bruce, who have officially become her escorts around the entirety of the towers. So far, it's only been two days with the demi-god present.

When the Asgardians first arrived, Tony had attempted to contact Fury so Loki would be placed in a cell much like the one that currently sits on the helicarrier in case Bruce… you know. But Thor had convinced Tony to merely set up a space separate from everyone on another floor, which also happened to be Thor's floor.

"And is there a reason you always wear that thing?"

Lyra walks into the room, Loki right behind her with Steve following with a frown on his face.

"It's her uniform!" the super soldier answers before dragging the girl away from a smirking demi-god.

Alright, maybe he only finds her interesting just so he can play with the Avengers' heads.

"Brother!" comes Thor's rather enormous voice. "Try this!" he says cheerily, shoving a green plastic bottle into the man's hands.

"What is it?" he asks with his eyes trained on Thor.

The blonde demi-god grins brightly. "A new Midgardian drink that Lady Lyra let me taste. It's delicious! Try it!"

"It's not new, Thor," she said from the couch, a tablet in her hands with a racing game turned on. "It's just Mountain Dew."

"She's right, Mr. Lightning," Tony smirks from a chair, a similar tablet in his hands, but with blueprints covering the screen. "That stuff's been around a while."

Thor frowns. "But it is not in Asgard, yes?"

Lyra smiles and rolls her eyes. "Yes, Thor. No one in Asgard has ever made it. Not unless they felt like breaking copyright laws."

Tony, with his drink held to his own mouth, chokes in laughter. "Too... good!"

With a victorious grin on her face, Lyra crashes into a fellow racer on the video game track, sending them out of bounds and out of the race. "I know."

* * *

Turns out, even demi-gods can get hyped up on sugar and caffeine. After the first bottle had disappeared into Loki's stomach, the brothers had begun a drinking contest with it. Which we all know is a very bad thing… a very _bad_ thing.

Loki is currently hiding somewhere, setting up prank after prank, while his brother is practicing with his hammer, swinging left and right. Quite frankly, it's a little annoying to everyone else. I, on the other hand, just duck under the swing and keep walking. It amazes everyone how I manage it.

"Lyra! If you're so good at dodging, keep him from breaking my stuff!"

With a sigh, I place my tablet in the corner of the room to keep it safe, then turn to Thor. Taking a deep breath, I imagine my uncle's stern look and duplicate it. The result seems to terrify those hiding in the kitchen, meaning Tony, Bruce, and Steve. Next is my uncle's tone of voice, which I perfected when I got my first puppy.

"THOR!"

The demi-god flinches, stopping mid-swing and turning to me slowly, wide-eyed. When he sees my face, he leans back away from me. I snap my fingers and point down.

"Hammer," I say slowly. "Drop… _Now._"

And the hammer is dropped. My expression softens and I smile sweetly, whereas he swallows hard.

"Good! Now then, Tony?"

The man with the glowing chest looks at me in fear. "Yeah?" he replies quietly.

"Find a nice open space where our wonderful puppy can play with his toy, please."

And he disappears past the Asgardian, who's still leaning away from me, and down into his workshop, no doubt trying to find a space in the tower where a demi-god would do the least damage. I pinch the bridge of my nose and walk over to the hammer. Crouching down, I poke it, annoyed.

"Thor?"

"Yes, Lady Lyra?" I can see him squirming in my peripheral vision; he's still got a lot of energy to burn. "When Gryffindor finds you a space, try not to break too much, alright?" The demi-god nods to me. "And you can pick your hammer back up. But no swinging!"

He does as he's told, taking his hammer back into his grasp and holding it close. "Yes, ma'am."

"Now then," I mutter to myself as I stand once more. "Where'd your 'fun' brother go?"

Thor thinks for a moment, trying to recall where his brother went, before staring at me blankly, a little fear in his eyes. Heh… My mom was right; women do run the world. This guy is supposed to be damn near immortal and here I am scaring the daylights out of him. He should have a few more gray hairs by the end of the day.

"I, uh… am not sure, Lady Lyra."

With a sigh, I try to think about pranks and jokes. Where would a god of pranks and lies go? Frankly, there are just to many places in the tower… then I have a 'duh!' moment.

"Jarvis!"

"Yes, Miss Lyra?"

"Find Loki!"

"He's on the roof, Miss Lyra. Shall I inform him that you wish to speak with him?"

I roll my eyes. "Sure."

And it takes only a few moments for the man clad in a green t-shirt and black pants to appear in the room, another bottle of Mountain Dew in hand and a smirk on his face.

"You don't seem nearly as hyped up as your brother," I remark as I glare at him.

"Or course not!" he scoffs. "I know how to use energy effectively."

I roll my eyes and mutter under my breath, "Fucking sorcery."

Loki glares at me. "I heard that."

My tongue makes an appearance as I glare at him, then snatch the soda from his hands and walk towards the kitchen. "Stop drinking my soda! I need this stuff to stay awake!"

And with a toss into the fridge, I feel better knowing that Tony would restock tomorrow morning.

* * *

"_La la, la la la la~._"

Her voice carries through the halls and rooms of stark towers.

"_La la, la la la la~._"

And it attracts a number of people.

"_I like your smile. I like you vibe. I like you sty-ile. But that's no why I love you!_"

As soft footsteps enter the room, a few faces peer from behind corners of walls, watching feet as the bounce over the back of the couch.

"_And I, I like the way you're such a stah-ar. But that's not why I love you._

"_Hey! Do you feel~? Do you feel me~? Do you feel what I feel, too?_

"_Do you need… do you need me? Do you need me-eh-eh?_"

Keeping an eye out on the balcony, Clint looks at an open window further along the building, hearing a girl's voice. Closing his eyes, he listens intently, memorizing the sound. On the roof, Loki, with a spellbook opened to a manipulation spell and a bird in front of him, loses his focus and his spell breaks. The bird he'd been controlling flies off as the sound reaches his ears as well.

"_Yoouu're sooo beauuutiiifuull! But that's not why I love you!_

"_III'm not suuure yooou knooow that the reason I looove you is yooou_

"_Being yooou! Just yooou! Yeah the reason I looove you_

"_Is allll thaaat weee've been through!_

"_And that's why I looove yooou!_

"_La la, la la la la~._

"_La la, la la la la~._

As her voice continues to fill the upper levels of Stark Tower, the unconscious Lyra, whos singing is by no means her own, sleeps peacefully as her voice carries. Unaware of this, the others listen in enthusiastically, waiting for her to finish before commenting.

Natasha leans against the wall of the hallway, swishing her finger back and forth to the song. Behind her, Tony and Bruce are listening with calm smiles, which is quite rare for the playboy. With his hands behind his head, Tony's ears pick up a joyful melody that reminds him of his girlfriend in Washington D.C. Bruce, with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his eyes closed as he listens, hears a more melancholy song, picking up the hidden meaning behind the upbeat notes; heartbreak and grief.

Thor, the only person who had been in the kitchen at the time, is listening intently, enjoying the sound as it brings back memories of people he loved and lost, along with thoughts of his home. For some reason, though, he feels more of a chill as he continues to listen, as if something is off.

"Shut her up!" Loki shouts, halting the girl's voice mid-chorus.

"Yo! Reindeer! What the hell!?" Tony yells. "She was just getting to the good part!"

"And sucking you all dry!"

Thor walks in, rubbing his temple. "He is right, Anthony."

Tony looks at Thor skeptically. "Oh, please! What could a little music do? If anything, it had been brightening my day!"

"Guys?" Natasha says at them, staring over the couch.

"You're a fool if you think that sound is harmless!" Loki shouts back.

"Guys."

"It is harmless," Bruce says evenly, trying to hold in his temper. "There's plenty of songs out there that have been _proven_ to harm people. And that's because they have subliminal messaging! That was nothing but a simple love song!"

"Guys!"

"Bruce," Thor begins, still rubbing an aching head. "That song was not simple. Anything but simple! If Loki hadn't stopped her from continuing, we would all be on the floor unconscious by the end of it.

"Hello! Guys!"

"I highly doubt that," Clint says walking in. "And anyway, I think Natasha has been trying to get some attention!"

His glare and nod of his head turned everyone to the red headed assassin as she looks over the back of the couch.

"She's fast asleep!"

Loki glares at her. "Not possible! If she had been asleep, she wouldn't have been able to sing! Let alone use whatever sorcery-"

"Then see for yourself!" she counters, stepping away from the couch.

All the boys step up and look at Lyra as she snores peacefully, her headphones plugged into her ipod and sitting in her ears. The song playing ends and switches to the next one as the screen's icon for the album changes.

"She's asleep?" Tony whispers.

Loki looks bewildered. "That's not possible. No one should be able to sing like that when asleep. Talking is possible, but singing?"

Bruce looks at the girl carefully then looks up to a camera. He taps Tony on the shoulder and points to it, sending a clear message.

"Everyone! To the lab!"

And with that, the scientists turn away and rush down the staircase on the other side of the room. Once they disappear beneath the floor, the others follow them. Loki is the last to reach the steps, stopping to glare at the feet hanging over the back of the couch.

"Not possible."

* * *

"You're telling me that Agent Lyra sang in her sleep?"

Director Nick Fury is at his captains post on the helicarrier watching a screen with all the Avengers team plus one dark haired demi-god. Stark nods definitively.

"That's right, eyepatch. Sang in her sleep. Reindeer seems to think she was trying to kill us."

Nick Fury's eye twitches at the mention of killing. His niece has done that before, although he knows for a fact that she didn't actually do it. The girl had been diagnosed by a SHIELD doctor for multiple personality disorder. And the girl had been given medication to handle it as well. That other half of his niece shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright… Did anyone happen to look to see if she took medication?"

Everyone tensed and they looked from one another, until finally Banner stepped forward.

"She does, sir. But I'm pretty sure she's out. The last time I saw the pill case, she only had one day's worth left."

Nick Fury sighs deeply. "Then get it _refilled_."

"Yo, eyepatch!"

The director stared at Stark for a moment, before finally giving in, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What, Stark?"

"How 'bout you let us in on princess's little secret. Why on earth would she need medication?"

"Bruce and Lyra can answer that for you. Now I've got-"

"Not so fast!" Stark interrupts. "What about her family?"

Nick Fury begins to twitch. The subject of family is not a good one to any person with surname of Fury. There's always been a lot of pain involved with it. That's why he had his niece change her official surname, even though she still goes by the original one.

"What about them?" he says slowly.

"She said her uncle works for shield, but not under the name Terry," Bruce informs him. "We figured we should let the man know that his niece is having some… issues."

"I'll be sure to let him know."

"Who is he, Fury?" Stark says with a smirk. "Which particular agent is it?"

"Drop it, Stark!" Nick Fury snaps.

Everyone on the other side of the live feed stares incredulously. Snapping from the director of SHIELD is normal, but not that kind of a snap. Usually it takes a lot more prodding from Stark to get to the breaking point, but this time only took a few, and measly, pokes.

Stark puts his hands up in surrender, then asks one more question. "What's so important about her, Fury? Why protect her like you are?"

Everyone on the other side of the feed stares from Tony Stark to Nick Fury, back and forth with their eyes. Glaring at the scientist, Nick Fury closes the feed and curses under his breath. He'd given a fair bit away; his niece's safety and health is starting to wear his mask thin. He'd do anything to protect what little family he has left, and considering that happens to be a girl with personality issues and a rather raging power, more desperate measure were going to have to be taken.

* * *

"You shouldn't have done that, Tony," Bruce mutters.

"Done what?" he asks innocently.

"Pushed him," Natasha says blandly.

"Fury is protecting her for a reason, we get that," Bruce continues. "But whatever that reason is, it's obviously _personal_. Ah!" He holds up his hand when Tony opens his own mouth to speak. "I get it! You want to know just what Fury's up to! After the whole tesseract nonsense, I can see that with ease. Believe me.

"But you didn't see her when she talked about her own family. It's almost as if she has none left. The look on her face seemed as if she had given up on having one. If her uncle is all that's left, and neither of them are going to tell, then it's probably best to drop it."

"But that's just the thing!" Tony shouts, throwing his hands into the air. "We can't just drop it! According to Rudolph and Bolt, that girl could've killed us by _singing_! I want to know why!"

Natasha sighs and rubs her temple. Clint taps her on the shoulder and nods to the screen behind Tony.

"Are you sure?" she asks, eyeing him carefully.

From his perch on the lab table he can see the screen's camera watching the girl in the living room sleep. Taking another second to think, he nods to his partner.

"Better now than when she's caused damage."

Tony stares at the two SHIELD agents, curious. "Whatcha two talking about?"

Natasha moves forward and pushes Tony out of the way, opening up a system on the computer and logging onto the SHIELD network. There, she opens up a personal folder labeled 'Hazard Information,' continuing into it and opening numerous other folders. Finally she reaches a particular one labeled 'Lyra Terry.'

"She's got a lot of folders," Bruce comments.

Natasha shrugs it off. "She's got quite the interesting background."

And she clicks the file to pull up a window with multiple document, records, and personal information. She clicks on a particular file, a word processing document labeled 'Hazardous Situations,' and flings the mouse towards the holographic projector. There, the computer processes the document's words and context to create simulations.

"First off, she's not telekinetic," Natasha starts. "Whatever it is that she _does_ is with her mind, but not so much with the objects themselves."

She flicks a small figure in the hologram, the entire simulation starting. One person stands on a 360 degree stage, surrounded by other figures. With a raised hands, the figures around the stage start to drop and snap into unrecognizable forms.

"Whenever her power activates, it takes hold of something that present in everything that exists and bends it to her will. She can collect it to herself, causing that glow I'm sure we all noticed in that graduation video, or scatter it everywhere, causing the explosion that stopped the camera recording."

Tony Stark watched as small dots gathered around the figure, the spread out like an explosion, sending the disfigured forms of other holographic people flying. "So she's pretty much a human bomb?"

"As far as we can tell," Natasha says with a sigh and a shrug.

"Director Fury doesn't believe that's all, though," Clint says, still on the lab table. "He thinks there's something else to her ability, something that was missed during a physical examination a week after her graduation."

"Clint, you know most of the other agents, right?" Bruce asks.

The archer nods. "I know almost all of them, memorized nearly every name and face. It's the new ones I don't have."

"Can you remember anyone with her kind of eyes? Any agent that resembles her in the slightest."

Clint closes his eyes and thinks before they snap open. "Only one."

"And that person would be…?" Tony pushed, trying his best to hide the smirk. He already knows.

"Nathaniel Fury."

Natasha rubs her forehead. So much for that secret.

"Who's Nathaniel Fury?" Bruce asks.

Clint seems to shake, as if haunted by something. "An amazing agent. He was supposed to be promoted to director, but he died a few weeks before that could happen. Our current director needed a body double to help with the work load. That's why his brother was going to be co-director with him."

"His brother?" Thor finally speaks up. "I understand that names can be similar here on Midgard, but surely you do not mean the brother of Nick Fury?"

Clint place his hands on the back of his neck, pulling at a particular spot as if trying to stretch it. "That's right. The director we all know and _love_."

Tony snickers. "Our dear director has a niece. And she upstairs on the couch."

Natasha glares at him. "Way to go, Stark! Are you happy now?"

"You knew?" Bruce asks, a small amount of shock present.

"Yeah," she says, rubbing her eyes. "I went and packed her bags for her. I'm the only other girl that would be a constant for her, so I was told before I even met her who she was. I was also told that Tony knew, and was the main reason she's now forced to be a part of SHIELD."

Tony holds his hands up. "Me? What'd I do?"

"You broke into the director's personal files! He kept every record of her locked away in there, until you dragged it all out and onto your own mainframe! And you left the door into his personal files wide open! The board got into it, found the files, and ordered her confined until further notice."

Tony backs up a bit. "Hey! She's not forced to be here! She can leave whenever she wants."

"No, she can't, Tony," Bruce sighs. "You've seen the videos. They're going to treat her like they treat me. If she tries to leave the organization now, she'll be hunted down, locked up and treated like a lab rat for the rest of her life. I doubt even her uncle could protect her from that."

Loki smiles a little. "I wonder if you fools have noticed…" Everyone looks up at him. "I wonder if you've noticed that you're little pet has disappeared from her seat on the couch."

He points towards the door, where a girl with bright orange hair, shining green eyes, and wearing a black jumpsuit is paled to almost ghostly white. Natasha doesn't waste a moment, dragging Clint with her. At the door, she turns the girl around and the two of them lead her upstairs.

"Well done," Loki smirks. "Now you've gone and terrified her."

* * *

My body won't stop shaking as the thought of needles and machines and chemicals plague my mind. Natasha just left to get me some sleep aids, leaving me a Clint alone. He looks haunted, as if he did something terrible and could never ask forgiveness. Me? I'm barely staying together myself. The thought of being a lab rat isn't a good one.

Sitting on the edge of my bed, I stare at my hands as they quiver on my legs. My breathing is shaky, and I'm sure I'll be oxygen deprived if I don't get it under control. The entirety of my body feels cold, as if the blood in my veins had stopped pumping through my limbs. It's enough pain that I can't control whatever's inside me; enough pain that it killed my parents. Now I have to deal with the pain that I'm no longer free to pursue whatever I wish.

Steve walks into my room, a face I haven't seen all day. His suit is on and his shield on his arm, so I'm assuming Fury had him go on some mission. As I look up at him, I can feel myself about to cry. When the man of America looks at Clint, he frowns deeply.

"I get that I missed something, but now it seems a bit important," he mutters, looking back to me. "What wrong?" he asks, moving over and sitting on my bed.

"She heard us while we were in the lab talking."

I lean against Steve, trying to gain some form of warmth. My tears won't come out, even though I'm trying to will them out as they build in my eyes.

"What exactly was so stressful about talking?" Steve's frown deepens.

"She's like Banner, Steve," is all Clint can say before dropping his head in his hands and silencing himself.

"Lyra?" Steve asks me.

"Yeah?" I ask, my voice breaking.

"What did they say?"

"I'm a trapped rat," I sob. "I'm no longer free to do what I wish with my life. And to top it off, I'm a human bomb just waiting to go off."

* * *

When she finally falls asleep, after taking a few sleeping pills from a bottle Natasha brought in, the three people left in the room talk quietly.

"So, she can never leave SHIELD?"

They both nod solemnly. "She's just like Banner in that aspect," Clint mutters. "If either of them tried to leave SHIELD, one way or another, they'd be captured and tested on, although I'm sure they'd be a little more liberal with her. There isn't anywhere near as much information on her as there is on Banner."

"We can't leave her alone. Not in this state," Natasha whisper sadly, moving some hair from the girl's face. "She looks like a little kid like this."

"Motherly instinct, huh?" Steve mutters in admiration. "I guess we'll have to be her new family, then."

"I'll stick with her for now," Clint mumbles, leaning back against the wall.

"Are you sure, Clint?" Natasha asks, worry etched into her face. "I know how much it hurt when Nathan died."

"It's fine Nat," he assures her. "It's the least I could do for the man. I don't know why Fury didn't just tell us, though. He should've known we all would've gone into protective mode."

Steve laughs softly. "Really? I wonder about us sometimes. We can be rather cruel to one another."

Natasha smiles softly. "Maybe, but we always bounce back from it, don't we?"

"Just like a real family," Clint points out. "She'll fit in with us just fine."

With those words ringing in the silence, Natasha and Steve nod and leave the room. Clint looks at the girl lying on the bed, thinking about his regrets towards the dead. A memory of a dear friend and mentor fills his head.

"It's not just your fault, kid. There are plenty you don't know about your parents before the ceremony started… Gotta say, though. Now that I think about it," he murmurs as he slides down wall to sit on the floor, "You looked pretty damn good in that dress, didn't you?"

Watching her sleeping form, he lets himself drift off to his own sleep.

* * *

I remember getting up and doing something. But I don't remember what. There was this sensation of lifting something heavy, then something else light. Then moving to a new place and falling over, just to back to sleep. And what's truly astonishing is that I actually don't really care that I'm never able to leave SHIELD now that I'm a part of it. Even if they want to test on me, I won't stop them. If it helps my uncle, the only family I have left, I'll do anything

Slowly, I force my tired eyes open to see a familiar face next to me. Curled up under the blankets of my bed, I tiredly watch Clint as he snores softly, his head lolled towards me. He seems rather content right now, so I'm not going to worry about the screaming in my head that wants me to cry like a little girl. He's an adult, I'm an adult. We're _responsible_.


	3. Chapter 3

Needing and Having a Family

"So tell me, Midgardian," Loki starts as soon as he sees her up and about the next morning. "What exactly do you do?"

Lyra swallows her food and chews on the fork in her hand. "Well… last time I checked… Boys."

Tony spits out his drink, barely missing the god of mischief. The smile on Lyra's face is a little malicious, as she looks at Tony choking on some of the liquid that had gotten stuck in his throat.

"Just wait, robo-boy. I've got a lot to get back at you for."

Tony slips from his seat, still coughing, and quickly leaves the room. Lyra then turns her attention to Loki and smiles.

"That was a good straight line. Thanks," she commends him, raising her fork with a smile on her face.

Loki mouth twitches upward, but he forces himself to hold back his smirk. "You didn't answer me."

She rolls her eyes. "If SHIELD doesn't know, what makes you think I do?"

"Because it's your ability, is it not?"

Lyra takes another bite of her food and starts chewing. She shrugs her shoulders at the question, stabbing the pancakes in front of her. Truth be told, she couldn't really care about what she could or couldn't do right now. Steve had made breakfast for her, hoping to try and make her feel better, and he did a damn good job, too.

Clint walks into the room, glaring at Loki as he opens the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water. His eyes go between the two people at the breakfast bar, one eating and the other staring intently. Feeling a little uneasy about the situation, he takes a seat next to Lyra.

"Do I get to know the conversation topic?"

"Your _friend_ is denying any knowledge about her own ability."

Clint chuckles lightly. "She's not denying anything. She truly doesn't know."

Lyra looks at him from the corner of her eye, but continues with her maple doused pancakes. Seeing a chance at some fun, the archer steal some of the bacon off her plate and stuffs it in his mouth, trying to hold back a smile as her eye twitches and she glares at him.

"I dare you to do that again, birdbrain."

The smirks both boys had been trying to hide finally break out and Clint swallows the meat in his mouth.

"Yes, Agent Barton. Do try that again," Loki encourages, placing his chin in his hand and resting his elbows on the table. "I'd love to see just what happens."

The glare from Lyra is making it all the more tempting to the marksman. And finally, he just can't help himself. As the smirk widens, Lyra's glare gets darker.

"Clint-"

"Mine!" he shouts in victory as he snatches another bacon strip and dashes out of the room.

"Verdammt, Clinton! Veider heir*!" she shouts, jumping up from her seat.

Lyra claps a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening and her skin paling greatly. Loki stares incredulously at her, knowing that was completely natural but not meant to happen. Clint walks back to the wide kitchen arch, staring with disbelief, the bacon hanging from his mouth. Steve follows close behind, staring intently at her.

She can't stop the tears and drops her head, her hands still covering her mouth, holding back a string of German curses and insults. Feeling all the words trying to come out, she bursts into a sprint past both of the boys in the archway and through the living room. Several eyes snap to and follow her across the room to the hallway. Each one has concern and astonishment on it; each one is lost on what just happened.

The three boys that had been near the kitchen and actually registered what Lyra had said walked into the living room, staring at the hallway with shock and worry on their faces. Even Loki, who doesn't actually feel attachment, knows that her acting in such a way is a very bad thing. Clint, finally removing the second strip of stolen bacon from his mouth, looks to Natasha, who's sitting on the couch as she stares at the hall in confusion.

"Natasha. Did you hear her?" When the female assassin turns a raised eyebrow to him, he repeats it, and then some. "Did you hear her? 'Verdammt, Clinton. Veider heir!'"

Natasha's confusion grows. "So? She yelled at you. What about it?"

"In _German_, Nat. Where in her file did it say she could speak German?"

Realization dawns on the assassin and she looks back and forth between the hallway and her partner. He turns back to the kitchen and walks over to the plates next to the stove where Steve had left the girl's 'cheer up' breakfast, grabbing the one of bacon and carrying it with him.

"Jarvis, have Tony shut off microphones and cameras in Lyra's room."

"I'll let him know, sir."

* * *

I shut off the faucet of the oversized sink, staring into the water as it fails to drain past the plug. Taking a deep breath, my hand finally leaves my face only seconds before I dunk my head in the water. I can feel my hair as it starts to rest against my face beneath the water's surface. Thank god Tony is so pretentious that everything in his house has to be oversized. When I feel my lungs burning with the need for air, I let myself resurface.

Nothing comes out of my mouth except ragged breaths. With a quick shake of my head, I try to remember what I'd said. No, I don't speak German, but I can recognize the accent with ease; I had a teacher from Germany when I was small. As my head starts to buzz again, I can feel the words trying to break free once more. So I dunk my head, once more.

It's when I feel the hands pulling my hair back that I realize someone's with me. And although I do flinch, I don't surface until my lungs are burning. When I do, I'm gasping again. The feeling of a hand rubbing my back is familiar and calming, and while the words are trying to break free, they're attempts are weaker than before. But something feels off.

"Danke." My eyes open wide as I realize what's wrong… I can't seem to speak English right now.

"It's alright, Lyra," I hear as Clint reassures me. "I speak German, so go ahead."

With a frustrated sigh, I try to dunk my head again, but Clint stops me and drags me from the bathroom. Before I can protest, in _German_, he sits me on my bed and drops a plate in my lap. While he plops himself beside me, I stare at the plate of bacon in front of me. It still smell UH-mazing! So I smile happily and shove and entire strip in my mouth.

"If I knew you loved that stuff so much, I wouldn't have stolen it."

"Zollten Zie nicht haben, auch venn Zie nicht vizzen."

"You sound better in German, you know that? Even you scolding me sounds better."

With a smile, I nod and shove more bacon into my mouth. Once I feel better, since I did binge eat, I hold a piece out to Clint. With a smirk, he bites down on it and pulls it from my grasp. Rolling my eyes, I start on another piece, eating it a bit slower.

"So tell me something," Clint says suddenly.

I look at him from the corner of my eyes, watching him as he pulls the bacon into his mouth bit by bit… without his hands. It's rather distracting, really, and I really wish he would stop.

"How do you feel right now?"

I turn to plate on my lap, think long and hard about it. Sure, I feel a lot better. A little upset still, yeah, but better. And for once, I think I know what went wrong. Swallowing the bacon still in my mouth, I turn to Clint with a small smile.

"I feel better."

The smirk that plays across his face is annoying, sure, but I still feel better. Plus… he's within revenge range. Before I let myself get too engrossed in planning my vengeance, I take another strip of bacon and shove it in my mouth whole. _Now_ I start the fun part.

"Hey, Clint?"

"Yeah?"

"Three seconds."

He looks at me quizzically, missing my intent. Then I glare at him and his eyes widen.

"Three."

* * *

In the living room, Natasha's painting Loki's toenails, although it's completely against his will, considering his twitching eyes and fingers. It's only when a yelp of pain comes from down the hall that Loki finally smiles. Natasha has a knowing grin on her face as she finishes the last toenail.

"I do believe Agent Barton has just found out what it means to be punished."

"Probably," Natasha agrees. "And I also think the tower may be breaking out into a battle of the sexes soon."

Loki raises an eyebrow. "How so?"

Natasha turns and grins evilly. "Pepper's coming home. And she's bringing a few friends."

* * *

I'm so happy! Pepper's coming home! That means Nat and I won't be the only girls here, and finally I can go out and have a girl's day that doesn't consist of shooting guns and throwing knives. Although I've got to admit, that was pretty fun. But Natasha also told me that Pepper was bringing some surprise guests with her. I'm so happy, but I'm also a little nervous about who's going to be here. If they're preppy and crap, I'm probably going to start speaking German again.

Oh, right! I completely spaced on that! Thanks to Clint, and Natasha, I realized why I started speaking German suddenly. Anger. When I felt the anger towards Clint for snatching my food, something somewhere in my head clicked and my natural language became German. And I've been studying up on the language on my own, too, just to make sure I actually know what I'm saying.

The ding of an elevator rings throughout the floor, and I can hear a joyous Tony as he starts cheering 'hip-hip hooray!' while he runs down the hall outside my room. He really missed Pepper while she was gone. And for the fifteenth time this morning, Tony's footsteps sound sadly back down to the corridor so he can mope in his room. I'm kind of curious as to how she got him so devoted.

Speaking of devotion, the entire Avengers team made a decision last night and dragged me from my room. Loki was there, too, for some reason, although I can't really complain. At least, not until Uncle Nick starts lecturing me on good versus evil. Then I'll start complaining about it. But, until then, it's nice to know he's participating a little.

They sat me down on the couch between Natasha and Steve, both of them smiling warmly at me. The expressions stirred a vague memory that I forced back into my mind while I focused on a softly smiling Bruce in front of me.

"Lyra, we made up our minds. We know your uncle is Fury. Ah!" He raised his hand when I had tried to speak, effectively stopping me. "And we know that it's a personal matter, so we won't bring it up outside of our little group. But we're also aware of the fact that he's your only family left."

At those words, I could feel myself trying to cry. My mind tried to force the tears to not come into existence, but my heart was starting to break all over again. I knew where they were going, and I just couldn't help myself. Natasha had chosen that moment to act like a mother and wrap her arms around me, holding me close.

"I'm sure you're guessing it right now," Bruce said softly as he crouched down to just below my eye level. "And you're right. We've decided that, from now on, we're you're family. If you're having boy troubles, you can go to any one of us, although I don't suggest Loki."

The god of mischief had scowled at that, but I giggled a little, knowing what Bruce meant. Who in their right minds would take relationship advice from a man who enjoyed teasing others? That's like asking for someone to hit you in the face with a pie.

"And if you feel lost on fashion, you can certainly go to Natasha and Pepper." My smiles grows a little more. "If you find yourself in any kind of trouble, you can go to Steve for protection, no matter what. And Me, Thor, Tony, Clint, and… maybe Loki… we'll go and beat the crap out of whoever wants to hurt you."

I buried my face into Natasha's shoulder right then, my smile bright, happy, and reaching my shining eyes. After six years of being alone with no one but my uncle to truly rely on, I have a mom named Natasha, dad named Steve, sister named Pepper, and four brothers named Thor, Loki, Tony, and Bruce. Then there's the fifth person, who for some reason, I can't seem to paint as either a father or a brother. Nonetheless, I've got Clint Barton on my side, too.

I bet Uncle will feel better, assuming we tell him sometime soon.

* * *

She's finally home! I had, unlike Tony, asked Jarvis to let me know immediately when Pepper's car arrived out front. And told him to keep it from Tony so we could surprise him. I even called Pepper and told her to dress up so Tony could feel extra special. Once that conversation had ended, she immediately told me that she had picked up two other sisters for me before her plane even directed back to New York.

I'm still a little nervous about meeting these people, but hey, the more the merrier, right? Unless they're preppy; then it's just straight down to depression and angst.

The elevator arrives at this floor, the ding not sounding, just like I asked of Jarvis, and the doors finally open to reveal a woman with hair similar to my own. I bounce happily, knowing that Natasha, who's sitting on the couch behind me, is rolling her eyes. With joy abound, I hold back my squeal of excitement and pounce, pulling the woman close in an all-encompassing hug.

Then my eyes open to the two girls still in the elevator, staring at me as if I'm crazy. All I can do is smile broadly. Their stares are _not_ ruining my fun. And Pepper has completely agreed to this, too. Remember when I told Tony I had a lot to get back at him for? Heh… Revenge is mine!

* * *

"Jane! Darcy!" Thor's booming voice resounds throughout the floor, no doubt alerting Tony that Pepper has indeed returned. "What do we owe the pleasure to?"

Before I have to see the love fest, I disappear into the basement with Pepper and Loki, who had taken his sweet time arriving. Honestly, you'd think the master prankster and god of mischief would be eager for this. And the fact that I promised nothing would punch him in the face should be plenty of protection for my 'brother.' Well, whatever.

"Okay, Peps! Where do we start?"

Pepper steps up to a particular suit and eye it critically, moving from each one to the next. Finally, after looking through each suit three times, she marks two different suits and calls for Jarvis. This is going to be so much fun!

"Did you go over the controls, Loki?"

The raven haired man looks down at me, a cruel glint in his eyes. "You will lose."

My own cruel glint matches his. "We'll see about that one."

"There you guys are… What's going on?"

I turn to see Clint standing in the open doorway, looking at us as if we're insane. An idea pops into my head at the sight of him, and an evil laugh escapes my lips.

"Vengeance!" I state proudly.

He tries to back out of the lab, after all he's suffered from my vengeance once, but Jarvis closes the door at my command.

"I don't want a part of this, whatever it is!" is his immediate response.

"You get to play with Tony's toys."

Hook. Line. Sinker.

Handing him a controller, I let Peps in on the revised plan. We all have mischief and malice in our eyes. And poor, poor Tony will only be able to watch. The best part, I've asked Jarvis to play some AC/DC while we're out on the balcony having our fun. Speaking of which.

"Everyone clear?"

They all nod, Loki messing with his controller in general. "Where is…"

"You didn't do your homework, did you, reindeer?" I sigh.

* * *

Tony Stark jolts out of bed after a two hour nap to the sound of an explosion outside. When he pulls the curtains form his window, two robotic suits zoom past it, no doubt anticipating that reaction. He stands there for a moment in shock, then bursts from his room in his pajamas and runs through the corridors, the sound of AC/DC playing in the living room.

Skidding to a stop just out of the hallway, he sees the balcony door closed and jammed from the outside. There, two people are using controllers and he can see two of his precious suits battling it out like Mortal Kombat, plus a few extra special moves. Shaking out of anger, fear, and anxiety, Tony runs up to the glass door, tripping himself up a few times, and bangs on the glass. Lyra and Pepper turn around and wave happily before turning back around and smashing the suits into each other.

"Jarvis!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Recall the suits!"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm afraid the program used to deploy the suits is not the same as usual, and has similarities to a video game."

"What!?"

"The suits will not cease their current functions until either a winner has been decided and it falls from the sky, or the players get tired of it and turn the game off, at which point the suits will return to their proper places."

Two more suits crash into the others, causing Tony to jolt from his stunned state.

"Jarvis! Who's controlling the other two suits?"

"Agent Clint and Loki, on the roof, sir."

Tony feet are slamming up to the elevator, and once he's inside the metal box, he slams on the button labeled 'R.' As the elevator rises, so does Tony's anxiety. The four of them are going to ruin weeks of work! All with one little stunt! And they were his precious children!

When the steel doors move apart, Tony sees the entire team, plus a few extras, standing by and watching as four Iron Man suits go through a free-for-all. Clint and Loki are floating above all of them, out of reach for any normal person. And unfortunately for Tony, his suits are currently locked up, unable to move from their places, excluding the four beating the bolts out of each other.

Two floating girls come up from below the edge of the building, joining the two boys as they attempt to smash each other's suits from the sky.

"Verdammt, Loki! Halten immer noch!"

"Why exactly is she speaking German?" Pepper asks in the midst of calmly knocking an Iron Man head off of a suit. It flies over their heads and lands on the roof's surface.

"Damn it all!" Loki yells. "You cheated!"

"Save it, Loki," Pepper replies. "You just don't know video games."

The god of mischief tosses his controller behind him and waits moodily for the other three to finish. One suit stops moving around and simply hovers.

"She speaks in German when she's angry," Clint picks up the earlier conversation line. "It's got something to do with her ability."

"Fick!"

"I see…" is all Pepper says as she continues to pulverize the other two suits. "You guys aren't very good at this."

"We don't have the amount of experience you do with these things," Clint mutters in annoyance. "Now hold still so I can knock your helmet off! Oh, shit!"

Another helmet flies onto the roof of the building and Clint groans. With a few more button presses on his controller, the suit he'd been using lands on the roof and stands still, powering down.

"Loki," Clint mutters. "You might want to get yours out of midair sometime soon. It doesn't have boundless energy, you know?"

The god rolls his eyes and snaps his fingers. A controller that had been tossed away earlier reappears in his hands and with a few commands, the suit lands haphazardly on the roof.

"Your Midgardian technology is impossible," he states simply and with a flourish, tosses the controller.

"Yes!"

A third and final helmet comes flying, nearly missing the boys as they duck their heads. Pepper starts whining as her helmetless suit lands on the roof alongside the other two. Lyra drops to the roof's surface and starts dancing happily. The others watching the entire thing can't help but laugh and enjoy the sight.

"Hey!" Tony finally yells over it all, barely regaining his composure. "What the hell!?"

Lyra grins evilly at the billionaire. "Don't worry, Tony!" she calls back waving her hand. "It's just simple payback!"

* * *

Thank god for Pepper. After the little tournament debacle with his suits, Tony had tried to go rampant in one of them, but since Pepper had dressed up so nicely, and has him under control most of the time anyway, he was distracted. The suits are now back in their places and being repaired by an upset playboy, billionaire, philanthropist.

"I, personally, thought it was hilarious," I say with a happy note in my voice.

Steve, although he too had enjoyed it, is lecturing me on it. "Maybe so, but that doesn't mean it was right. You shouldn't have done it."

"Aw. But Daddy!"

Steve's face flushes at the term of endearment. I've taken a liking to using them; it's been a while since I've been able to call a living person 'Daddy' and actually mean it. Sure there was my godfather who adopted me, but it just didn't feel right when I did. This way does, in some weird way.

"She's just getting back at him for screwing her over," Clint chips in with a smirk. "And besides, he's got tons of suits, a few damaged ones won't hurt him, and it'll even give him something to do since he's so bored lately."

My grin flashes across my face and stays put. Clint reaches into the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water, tossing me one of my sodas while he's at it. With a Mountain Dew in my hands, and a great deal of stress relieved, I'm a happy camper! While Steve rubs his temple, trying his best to no doubt stop an oncoming migraine, I track after Clint, following him all the way to the elevator.

"Where 'ya going?"

"Practice room."

"Why?"

"Because I can."

"Why?"

"Because I'm alive."

"Why?"

"Because my parents-" He slaps his hand over his mouth, turning a bright red. "Seriously?"

I grin at him and nod. "Yup! And so close, too!" When he steps into the elevator, I join him.

"Where are _you_ going?"

"Practice room."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Why?" he asks slowly, obviously questioning if he really wants to know.

"Because I can."

He gives me a deadpan stare and I smile sweetly back at him.

"Really?"

"Yup!"

"Okay, let me try this again."

"Go ahead!"

The elevator doors open once more to reveal a hallway with several doors on either side, each with a label marking it for a certain Avenger.

"Why do you need to go to the practice room?"

"I don't _need_ to go. I want to!"

He rolls his eyes and I snicker, finally opening my soda and chugging half the bottle. His eyes watch me and I can feel something behind the stare, though I can swear it's not annoyance, amusement, or any other kind of the usual emotions. It feels… sadder. When I stop gulping down the liquid caffeine, I look at him curiously; he's stopped watching me, but that sadness is still in his eyes.

Smiling softly, I poke him in the arm to get his attention. "I'm going to the training room," I start when his eyes look at me from their corner, "because I was hoping you'd teach e how to use a bow."

He smiles genially, that amusement back in his stare. "You? Using a bow?"

I nod sheepishly. "My dad told me once when I was high school that he met a kid who could shoot a bottle off a post several hundred yards away, past the usual limits of human ability. And at the time, my gym class had been doing archery as well. I sort of took a liking to it."

The smirk on Clint's face softens to an easy smile and he shakes his head with a laugh. We stop at the end of the hall, entering the door on the right.

"Any other reasoning I should know?"

I stare at the ground for a moment before entering the room behind him. Raising my head as I walk through the door and kick it closed behind me, I stare at him as he looks through the bows on the wall.

In my head, the statement sounds like I'd yelled it. 'Because I want to know how it'll feel when I do die.'

* * *

Clint ran me through the basics in a matter of minutes, mostly because I already had them down. Right now, we're fine-tuning my aiming, which is my only problem. The bow has a low draw weight, so I can hold it back easily, and the little hint about using my shoulders to assist in the draw made my usual shaking ease.

"Release."

And my fingers let go of the arrow currently nocked. It flies through the air to hit the second ring from the middle. With a smile on my face, I look at Clint happily. I can tell he's feeling a bit upset, but it seems to lift away as he smiles back at me and nods.

"Nice shot. Getting better. I'll have to let Tony know you'll need a practice bow in here."

I think back to earlier today. "Hold off on that request for a week or so, okay?'

He smiles at me, understanding. "Sure thing."

"You know… You seem a little off."

His smile turns to a look of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Really, Clint? Don't play stupid. It doesn't suit you."

He manages a weak smile, and I know I've locked him in a corner. I also know that locking people into a corner when they feel miserable is a bad idea. Stuff tends to break that way. So, instead of forcing the issue, I smile softly, that barrier breaking smile I always use on my uncle when I want something, and hand over the bow in my grasp.

"Take some shots, Clint. You'll feel better. Imagine they're Tony!"

With a choked laugh, he steps up to the line and takes aim. The first thing I notice, his grip is off. Another thing, he's got the arrow nocked wrong. My soft smile fades as he releases the arrow, barely missing the center of the target. When his eye twitches, I know he realizes that he screwed up somewhere in the process, and that he's also unaware of what went wrong. This time, when he pulls back, I see the perfect setup that he'd walked me through. His attention this time is purely on his bow and target.

"Good," I mumble. "Focusing on something else will help you smile."

His eye twitches again as my voice reaches his ears. When he releases the arrow, it hits dead center.

* * *

"Mommy!" I yell cheerily. "Where are you!?"

I can sense rather than see the eye-rolling that she's no doubt doing right now. Her hand pops up from the couch, the only part of her visible since she's laying down and staring at the TV.

"Great!" Pepper's voice come from the hallway. "We need one more girl."

Natasha sits up and looks at us quizzically. She then takes my clothes into account. Instead of the jumpsuit I'm supposed to wear, so I can get used to it, I'm wearing a purple t-shirt and blue jeans, along with natural colored tennis shoes. Around my neck is the necklace my uncle gave me for my birthday, the sparrow pendant shining brightly. Her eyebrow raises and I shrug.

"It's girl's day out. Why be professional?"

Natasha grins broadly. "Count me in! So, where are we starting?"

I smile broadly. "With the regular stuff."

Natasha smile diminishes a bit. "No fun."

* * *

Standing in a dress store, Pepper is holding a green dress up to my figure. I raise an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not dating Loki, so I'm not wearing his color."

Natasha, on the other side of the dress rack, and in civilian clothes, chuckles. A smirk crosses my face as Pepper rolls her eyes and puts the dress back, only to grab a similar one in a blue color.

It's loose fitting in general, mostly because it needs a belt to be complete, and has a second layer of silk fabric underneath. Probably to keep perverts like Tony from seeing through the top fabric layer. There are three thin teardrop shapes at the neckline, which stays relatively close to the neck, only a few inches away, lined up neck to each other. The hem drops to just above my knees, so it shows off my legs, although I don't particularly like them. With a weak smile, I'm pushed into a changing room, a thin, woven white sash tossed in with me.

"Don't think we're leaving if you don't have a dress!" Pepper calls from the other side. "Tony gave me his card, so you're not getting out of it because of cash!"

Cursing the man who owns the credit card we're no doubt going to be using, I begin to plan my next payback scheme on him. The dress slips over my head, the inner layer catching on my bra. After adjusting everything and clipping the back closed at the top, I tie the sash around my waist, uncertain if this looks good.

Opening the door slightly, I see the other four girls waiting on me, each one holding their own dress. Pepper spots me and, seeing my hesitant attitude, pulls me out from the dressing room. And every eye widens.

"Damn! I wish I had those legs!" Darcy comments loudly.

My face starts to turn red, and I keep my remark to myself; she probably has better legs than I do. Jane steps a little closer and twirls her finger, looking at me with an expectant smile. Knowing I'm not getting out of this any time soon, I do as she asks slowly.

"Nicely done," Natasha states as she pats Pepper on the shoulder.

"Well, with that jumpsuit on all day yesterday, I got a pretty good look at her. Hell, I'm pretty sure everyone in the tower is a little envious of Clint right now."

"Clint?" I ask stopping mid twirl. "Why Clint?"

Pepper and Natasha give me a knowing smile. "He's your date tonight," they cheer in unison.

"…Date?" I ask weakly, my face paling. "No!"

* * *

It turns out, Toy had planned another party. I've only been in the tower for a few weeks and this is the fifth one he's had. Granted, the others were a little smaller, and definitely more private considering they were in the upper tower levels, but still. Why so many? I guess he just gets really bored with all his money.

I can see Natasha over by the bar with Bruce, both still on their first drink, avoiding getting drunk out of habit. Tony and Pepper are on the dance floor, spinning and twirling as they laugh together; they seem perfect and happy. Thor and Jane are doing the same thing, only they seem to be talking and swaying more than anything, obviously ignoring the music and noise around them. Steve is on an upper level, talking to a number of people who are no doubt fanpersoning over him. Loki and Darcy have somehow hit it off, probably discussing multiple pranks to pull off on the entire Avengers team.

Clint is standing next to me, looking around with squinted eyes. And in the meantime… Wait a second… is that a blush?

"Um… Clint?" I ask, my arm still hooked onto his.

His eyes look down at me, a smirk crossing his face. "Yup?"

"Are you okay?" If there had been a blush, it's not there now.

"Yeah, why?" He asks, turning his head to me. "Are you okay?"

I smile brightly and nod. Clint and I are hiding away from the others in a darker corner of the club. Tony had thought it a good idea to book the entire place for the entire night, a few officials invited to join us. After a little while, a large group of other people, which no one of the original party recognized, started to flow in, to which Tony just yelled 'party time!' and started up the current dance mix. All of that was about a half hour ago.

Not enjoying the claustrophobia inducing atmosphere in the middle of the room, Clint and I had backed away from everyone. I'm sure Natasha and Pepper had noticed at the time, because I could feel the knowing smirks behind me as we'd moved. They still won't tell me why Clint was picked as my escort for this party.

"Tired of this yet?" Clint asks, his eyes scanning the large group in the middle of the room yet.

In response, I merely yawn. "A little."

While I rub at my eyes, Clint places his hand at the small of my back, guiding me towards the door. Once again, the feeling of being watched by two smirking women bugs me. Don't they have something better to do than harass me about… whatever it is they're harassing me about!?

Outside the club's entrance, people are lined up, kind of like you'd usually see in a Hollywood movie. Clint leads me over to a black sedan and over to the passenger's side. There he opens the door for me and helps me in. My eyes follow him tiredly as he walks back to the driver's side and climbs in.

"Home, right?" he asks with a smirk.

I smile and nod. "Home, please."

* * *

It's that vague awareness again. Only I don't feel like I'm moving on my own. It feels more like I'm floating with two warm spots; one crosses my back, just below my shoulders, the other under my bent knees. And then there's this softness that my head's against, along with this gentle scent that fills me with a soft warmth.

I wonder…


	4. Chapter 4

Inconspicuous Return

It's a rarity when she wakes up and feels like air. Everything she does from the moment she climbs from her bed is automatic. Go to the bathroom and get cleaned up, brush teeth and hair, the exit to put on clean clothes. For some reason, it reminds her of high school mornings.

She didn't really gain any control over herself and her light feeling until she heard a knock on the door and opened it with only a t-shirt on. Poor Bruce. His face turns a bright red and he immediately looks away. The control takes a second before she finally snaps from her feeling and hides behind the wooden rectangle.

"What's up, Bruce?" she mumbles from behind the door, thoroughly reddened by the event.

"You're late for breakfast, so I thought I'd come get you," is his quiet and slightly forced reply.

She looks out from her hiding spot an extremely sheepish smile. "Thanks, bro."

He smiles softly back, a little eased by the term of endearment. "No problem. Hurry up, before Thor eats everything."

With a nod, she shuts her door and finishes getting dressed, slipping on a pair of shorts before running out and into the kitchen. And just like Bruce had warned her, Thor had eaten a vast majority of everything. But Steve has a plate sitting off to the side and motions her to it when he sees her. After thanking the super soldier with a kiss on the cheek, much like how she used to treat her real father, the girl picks up the plate and leaves the kitchen.

Instead of listening and watching Thor as he shovels endless amounts of food into his mouth, she sits on the couch and flicks on the TV… Where her uncle promptly appears and scares the crap out of her.

"Holy crumb snatchers in blankets!"

When her uncle raises and eyebrow, she smiles sheepishly once again. Her pancakes, which hadn't been covered in syrup yet, lay on the couch and floor. The bacon is still on the plate by some miracle; she's rather happy about that accomplishment. And the eggs have only half fallen from the dish.

"Something wrong, Agent Terry?"

"No, no! Just fine!" she sighs. "But please don't do that."

"Right."

"Jar~vis~!" she sings out. "Let everyone know Fury's on the line for a meeting."

"Of course, Miss Lyra."

And about ten minutes later, everyone's gathered up, including Rudolph. Lyra's uncle glares at Tony for a moment, then dives into his reason for calling. Quite literally, Lyra feels a little trepidation at the look.

"I'm well aware you all figured it out," he sighs. Everyone starts squirming, except Lyra, and her uncle continues. "Yes, she is my niece. But that doesn't mean she gets special treatment."

"She does, though," Tony interrupts, gaining a glare from Fury. "Not from you, specifically, but from us, she does!"

Bruce chuckles lightly. "That's true. She's definitely got that going for her."

Steve steps up next. "Sir, the entire team made the decision to take over certain… aspects of her life. Not to a point where she can't do as she pleases, but more of a support setup."

Her uncle stares at him blankly. "They're my family now, too, Uncle Nick."

Fury sighs deeply, obviously annoyed by this. "Why the hell did you let that happen? Did you ever stop to think that I don't want to be related to Stark."

"Hey!"

Lyra stands up and stares at her uncle kindly. "Because these people care for me. Just like you do! And I see no reason to think otherwise. Even Loki's been a good brother! You should've seen the payback we got on Tony a little while ago!"

Loki snickers in the background at the memory of the Iron Man tournament. Fury sighs one more time, pinching the bridge of his nose. Only Lyra sees the amusement in his nearly unnoticeable smile, which makes her smile in turn. The memories of her uncle's visits and how her friends used to comment on his stern face run through her mind.

"Uncle?"

"What is it, kiddo?"

The others around Lyra look at the director in something akin to bewildered shock. His voice had sounded kind and amused all together. That's not something they usually hear from him; it's usually an angry lecture or an annoyed command to shut up or something to do with a mission. Kind and amused were not the usual association with him.

"You don't have to like them," she says, hearing a grumbling from Tony. "Just like you don't have to like my foster parents." Fury's mouth twitches slightly. "And don't try to hide that you detest the bitch troll, either. We both know how much she ticks you off," she comments with a bright smile.

"Alright, Lyra. I'm trusting you on this one," he says, giving a first real smile, which sends most of the boys into a shocked silence. "Now then," he continues, losing his smile. "I've a got a mission for you guys. Barton, I need you to track down a Brandon Lucien. He's been smuggling weapons across the borders of Mexico and into Texas and California."

Clint nods and starts to move.

"Hold it, Barton!" he calls, stopping Clint in his tracks. "This is a relatively easy mission, isn't it?"

Clint nods, a little lost. "What about it, sir?"

"Take Lyra with you. It's about time she got some field experience."

Lyra lights up, hops from her seat and dashes out of the room yelling 'Whoo!' to go and change into her jumpsuit. The team stares after her for a moment before Fury regains their attention.

"Dr. Banner, have you finished examining that orb she got for her birthday?"

Bruce looks back at the director from the hallway Lyra had just run down. "Not yet. Whatever it is, so far it just looks like a glass ball with some sort of gas inside it. If there's something secret about it, there's no way I'm going to figure it out, even with all the equipment downstairs."

"What orb?" Loki asks, confused.

"Just some weird thing someone sent her. It was in a box in her room on the helicarrier with a card attached that said 'happy birthday, Lyra.' She stared at it for the better part of five minutes before snapping out it," Natasha explains.

Loki's look darkens. "I think we should take a look at this orb, brother," he says to Thor.

"Yes. It does sound strange. Brother Banner, if you would lead?"

Bruce heads towards the stairs and down into the lab, the demi-gods at his heels. Just as Loki's head disappears beneath the floor, Lyra dashes back in, a bright smile on her face. The jumpsuit is hugging her every curve, and Tony whistles.

"I forgot what your figure was."

"Stark!"

"Easy, eyepatch! I was just saying!"

"Let's go, Clint!" she says excitedly, practically bouncing off the walls as she drags the archer to the elevator.

"Lyra! Be careful out there. And don't let her out of your sight, Agent Barton!"

* * *

It probably hadn't been the best idea for Uncle Nick to send me with Clint. Sitting on the roof of a border guard tower, Clint and I are watching for movement on the Mexican side of the fences. We've been here for the entire day, and I kind of regret not bringing a video game with me. So far, nothing. So far, I'm bored out of my fricking mind!

"Clint?" I mutter.

"Yeah?"

"I'm bored."

He sighs quietly. "Well, that's the general consensus when the mission starts out. There's rarely much to do until at least a few hours into the gig. It may even take a few days."

Lying back with a groan, I stare at the stars, bored out of my mind; at least they're something of a comfort. Dad used to tell me stories about the constellations. He made up an entire story to the Draco constellation, along with the tale between the warrior and the lion constellations as well.

"Can I practice shooting?" I whine softly.

"No."

"Damn."

"Heh."

* * *

We arrive in the city of our home at two in the morning, and I'm super tired. After just over twelve hours of waiting for something to happen, some idiot helping with the weapons transport across the border screwed up. The truck they were using blew up and gave Clint and I plenty of time to leisurely stroll all the way over and collect five suspects plus salvage some evidence.

Want to know the really awesome part about all of it? Only one guy ran, and I got to tackle him! I truly enjoyed that; it made me feel better and relieved all that pent up energy and stress from waiting. But now that I've sprinted and worked on paper work, I am, like I said, super tired.

Want to know the really awesome part about being super tired? Clint's carrying me on his back. I feel like a little kid again, and it's nice. While Clint strolls through the headquarters of SHIELD after finishing reports, I'm dozing off on his back. He's taking such a huge hit for me, considering people are probably staring at us like we're idiots, crazy or fools. Most likely the 'fools' one. But it's not that uncommon for someone's brother to carry them, right?

Because that's what Clint is to me, right? A brother figure… right?

* * *

"Um… Bruce?"

Bruce looks up at me and smiles softly before motioning me into the lab. I do as he says and take a seat near the table, eyeing the orb warily. The last time I'd touched it, I didn't exactly enjoy the look I'd been given from it. That guy on the other side of the glass had scared the crap out of me.

"Loki and Thor told me to come down here," I say cautiously. "I don't have to mess with that thing, do I?"

Bruce gives me a sympathetic smile. "I know and understand that you don't want to. And frankly, I don't want you to, either. But we need to know just what this thing is."

He pulls the glass orb from its stand and holds it out to me. Gingerly, as if I'm about to be assaulted, I take hold of it and stare at it blankly. Then I look back at Bruce and raise an eyebrow. A frustrated and confused expression crosses his face and he sighs deeply.

"Nothing, huh?"

"Nada."

"Well, alright… What the hell do we do with it now?" he mutters, removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.

I roll my eyes. "How should I know? You're the smart one."

He chuckles lightly and puts his glasses back in place. Man I love making these people laugh; it's become something of a personal mission in my life. I hope I can get everyone to laugh as easily as I get Bruce to, although he seems to do it out of common courtesy more than anything, which kind of bugs me, but then it doesn't. I'm confusing myself.

I slip from my seat and walk around the lab. There's little bits and pieces of multiple Iron Man suits on one side of the lab, no doubt due to Tony's insomnia. He was down here a few nights ago when I finally caught him in his sleepless state. It was a little hilarious how flustered he was when I blew on his ear from behind.

As my fingers run along a peculiar piece, the sounds of a clearing throat bring my attention to the door. There, Tony Stark stands in all his arrogant glory; it makes me grin.

"'Sup, bro!"

"Well, now, little Lyra, it seems you've found the latest Stark toy," he says, amused with a wry grin on his face.

"Really?" I counter with sarcasm. "I hadn't noticed."

His smile is infectious, and I can see Bruce is having a hard time battling the virus. Personally, I enjoy smiling, so the virus is by no means a problem to me. My attention returns to the metal beneath my fingers and I examine it closely. There's no color scheme yet, but it's obviously a new suit; there's a 'Mrk I' etching on the metal. Why it's a Mark I, though, is beyond me. Tony walks up next to me, leaning against the table as he waits for my opinion.

It's still got that shining metal color and has a pulsar blaster at the end on a palm, much like Tony's armor for his arms. But the little marks on it confuse me; there are a few line along it, welded back together.

"What is this, Tony? I thought you had at least fifteen different suits?"

"Well, kiddo, this is your suit!"

I stare at him incredulously. "Mine," I state blandly.

Tony's smile brightens up, and I have a really bad feeling about this.

* * *

"He made her a suit!?"

Bruce chuckles lightly at the sound of Nick Fury's furious voice. It was rather surprising when Tony had asked him to help design a female model, and even more surprising when he started to design two of them. When the doctor had asked what they were for, and he'd been given a rather humorous and unrepeatable answer, he immediately took extra care working on the safety protocols and override systems. After all, none of the Avengers, nor their boss, wanted to see their newest addition fall out of the sky.

That's right. Tony Stark has decided Lyra Terry needs an Iron Man suit… well, Iron Woman suit. Why? Because she went on a mission with Clint Barton and he decided to make her life a little easier when she heads out again. Although, whether or not SHEILD will let her use it is another matter.

At the current moment, Nick Fury is arguing with Tony Stark over whether or not the suit would even be safe for Lyra to use. The arrogant philanthropist believes it to be completely acceptable for her to be in a thing made of a steel and titanium alloy. Her uncle, on the other hand, only sees the 'gift,' as Tony put it, as a flashing neon sign saying 'take a shot at me;' he's rather fond of her and doesn't want to see someone actually trying to take a shot at her.

"Calm down, Cyclops!" Tony grins. "She's just going to test it out. And if she doesn't like it, I'll modify it for when one of my past mistakes catches up to me and I end up with a kid."

Bruce rolls his eyes as he works with the wiring of the left pulsar blaster. It's been giving both men trouble, mostly because of modified dimensions for the girl's frame. But, yet again, it shocks him, jolting him back from the piece of equipment and making him frown.

"Tony," he calls over his shoulder. "I don't think these dimensions are going to work. The wires are too clustered like this."

Hearing his friend calling for him, Tony winks at the director and walks over to the table. Nick Fury just shakes his head, aggravated enough for one day, and walks back up the stairs to find his niece. Hopefully she'll listen to him.

Unfortunately, though, he's not getting close to her.

"Nick!"

"Hello, Pepper," he sighs. "Where's Lyra?"

"Practicing with Clint. Why?"

"I need to tell her something about Tony's latest idiotic project."

She rolls her eyes and gives him a hard look. "You know it's a good idea, Nick. You're just letting personal feelings get in the way."

He glared at her for a moment, but sighed deeply, and in agreement, when she held her ground. As her hand lands on his shoulder, he rubs his temple slightly before heading out to look for his niece again. Pepper watches him walking towards the elevator, giving him a sympathetic smile as she does. She honestly doesn't want to see the girl in a suit, either. But Tony's reasoning was sound, and she believes in keeping the girl safe above all else.

* * *

"You better stick with her, Stark," Uncle wans my bro quietly.

That sort of tone can only mean one thing – my uncle is not pleased about this. Me, my uncle, and my science bros are out on the terrace where Tony's Iron Man launch pad is located. Tony is currently doing a last minute check on all the gear he so graciously made for me. Bruce is currently trying to explain how everything works, and why the design is the way it is. The suit I get, although 'suit' sort of implies a complete set, is in seven pieces.

There's headgear, which is just a band that goes around the head, pulling my hair through a loop in the back, covering the eyes, with an earpiece attached. For the legs, I get a set of rocket boots, much like Tony's suit legs, only they stop at half-calf. My chest piece has an arc reactor in it, for power, and has plenty of room for my chest, which has strangely filled out since I've been here. And then there's the belt/skirt ensemble holding all manners of cool toys that I have not been informed of yet; thank god I decided to wear spandex today. As for power, everything's connected to the torso by some electrical wires.

Colored differently than Gryffindor, the scheme is set up in blues, darker blue being the main color while lighter tones outline the details. As I slip on the armor pieces, pulling my hair into a ponytail and through the opening in the back of the headband, I notice the 'Mrk VII' on the arm and raise an eyebrow to myself. Last I checked, this was a prototype that I still needed to test for them before they started on the next model. Maybe that was the explosions that have occurred over the last couple weeks.

Shaking my head clear, I look to Tony who's headed over to the now circling rings as his suit is outfitted onto his body. Once it's all there, he takes off. Watching him for a moment, trying to figure out just how the armor works, I'm baffled at how they think this could end up well. But, hey, Uncle's letting me do something dangerous; taking advantage, much?

With slight apprehension, and a _really_ light stomach, I walk along the strip to the launch pad and look up at the hovering Tony. He makes it seem so easy. And with my record of broken stuff, including a coffee maker – Jarvis operated –, a treadmill – Jarvis operated –, the tv in my bedroom – Jarvis operated –, a couple practice bows, and quite a few _Jarvis operated_ pieces of equipment, this may not be the best idea. Still not quite sure how I managed to break anything that I wasn't even touching… Oh well.

"Jarvis?" I call into the microphone, but receiving no answer. "Jarvis."

"Sorry, kiddo!" Tony's voice rings through the earpiece. "Jarvis runs my suits. I made a special AI just for you. Plus! It's female."

With a sigh, I give him a baleful look. "Well, then? Her name?"

"That's up to you kiddo…" he tells me through the comm system.

I can practically hear the joy in his voice and could probably see the ego boost if I had heat vision goggles on. Maybe I should fix that… Assuming, of course, I can get the stupid suit I'm wearing to work. Why the hell would Jarvis not run my suit, anyway?

"Want the activation command?"

"Please," I drone. "Sometime today before Uncle leaves so he can see me splat into the pavement."

"That's not funny, Lyra," my uncle growls through the conference line.

"Hi, Uncle!" goes my cheery voice; I hear Bruce chuckling on the line as well.

"Kiddo! Focus! Now repeat after me. 'Iron Girl – Mark Seven. Activation code 38764 – 492.'"

After repeating the entire sequence, the headset covering my eyes lights up brilliantly, making me blink a couple times. Multiple screens flash by my sight as the suit starts up and I feel a heat running through all the equipment as the reactor in the torso does its job. Being warmed up is nice, especially with the wind blowing and chilling my exposed skin. I'll have to look into some other clothes for when I wear this.

"Now, Mini-me. Name your AI. Just give it a name."

My mind reaches out for thin air, until something pops into my head.

"Carolin."

At the sound of my voice, the letters pop up on screen as a new system is labeled and initiated. After a few more screens flash by my eyes, I finally hear the AI Tony had informed me of.

"Hello, Lyra!" the voice says cheerily. "Pleasure to meet you. What are we doing today?"

"Uh," I hesitate. "Practicing?"

"Alright then."

"Yo! Kiddo!" Tony calls out. "Whenever you're done wasting time, let's get going!"

I look up at Tony and nod before addressing my new AI, Carolin.

"General controls, please."

"Alright. First off, movement and flight. I assume you already know how to walk by yourself, so let's start with flying."

A smirk crosses my lips at her jibe. Tony designed this AI well; it's going to be an interesting day. As she explains the thrusters and how to control them, I watch Tony lazily fly around the tow, waving mockingly when he passes by me. Just as he goes around the corner for yet another lap, Carolin finishes her explanation and I give the thrusters a try, hovering up off the platform for a few minutes.

With a rather devious smile on my face, I toss caution out the window and shoot upwards. The sounds of the Avengers watching this little escapade ring in my ears through the headset. Maybe zipping away from the tower and up into the air wasn't the brightest idea. But as I hover a few miles above the tower, I honestly can't care less.

A light flashes across my screen and I notice an arrow pointing downwards. After playing enough video games, I realize it's an indicator for an object, and I quickly move out of the way as Tony shoots past me and further into the atmosphere. The bad part about that is I'm not able to go much higher out of worry for my health. I'd much rather stay warm enough to at least shiver instead of freezing into a popsicle. Just a personal preference, that's all. Can't really say I'd enjoy being encased in ice.

"Ha ha, Tony," I say mockingly. "Just tell me what we're testing here. I promised Bruce I'd be down in the lab in a little to take another look at that orb."

"My jolly green lab assistant has an assistant of his own? When'd that happen?"

"Stark," my uncle's voice carries through the radio waves. "Hurry up. We don't have all day and I want her on her own two feet."

I chuckle lightly as the sound of Tony huffing in annoyance reaches through the communication lines. No doubt he heard my chuckle as a pulsar blast flew by me.

"Hey! Watch it, Stark!" I shout the through the lines.

"First test – basic movement: check! Second test – defense systems. I suggest asking Carolin a few questions kiddo! I doubt you know how to work the defense systems."

Oh, really? Well, maybe I should prove genius billionaire playboy philanthropist wrong in that aspect. With a grin on my face, I ignore his advice and release the thrusters, dropping slowly at first but picking up speed as I fall. Tony, not knowing what I'm thinking, has no doubt taken it as a sign that my suit had faulty wiring. Heh. Time to see what this little suit can do.

As Tony shoots down towards me, thinking he's about to save me, I hold out my hands and start the thrusters again, watching as he dodges my immediately stilled body and flies by. Quite frankly, the look I'm imagining on his face is hilarious, and I can't help but laugh as he comes level with me.

"Not funny, kid."

"So hilarious!"

"Lyra!"

I flinch at my uncle's voice. Maybe I should have asked Tony to wait until Uncle left to test this. The director of SHIELD obviously doesn't enjoy my sense of humor. With a nervous laugh, I return my attention to the equipment test.

"C'mon, Tony. Before Uncle _makes_ me go splat."

And the two of us speed back up into the clouds for the rest of the suit tests.

* * *

I love my bro. I love my bro. I love my bro.

After two days of testing, I finally get to lay my aching body on my bed. It's a relief, really, letting my pained and straining muscles finally relax. Hopefully no one decides to bother me while I try to take a nap…

Speaking of which.

Just as I drift off into sleep, I could swear someone is calling out to me. With a groan, I force my eyes back open to see bright blue skies. Sitting up, I see nothing but tall grass. For some reason, I feel like saying 'we're not in Kansas anymore.' Anyone else? No? Too bad.

A nagging feeling in the back of my mind motivates me to get up off my bum, so up I go. Standing among the green grasses all around me, I find it rather strange that there isn't even a tree in sight. And yet, I find it rather natural as well. For some reason, this place is familiar, and I just can't place where I've seen it. Maybe it was a brochure for Kansas… no? Still? Well, whatever to you to.

Taking a few steps, I notice that my feet are bare, and instead of the wonderful under armor I'd been wearing all day, I'm in a V-neck tank top and flowing skirt, which drops to about the middle of my thigh. It's a little disconcerting, seeing my legs with all those bruises after slamming into the structure of the building from today's tests.

I shake my head violently and turn back to the scenery around me. It's still familiar, and I'm nowhere closer to placing it. Ah well. Time to lay back down and ignore everything around me.

* * *

"Really, Loki?"

Loki, Thor, Bruce, Lyra, and Fury are all in the lab, staring at the orb Lyra had been given anonymously for her birthday. Although Fury had gone through the surveillance videos, as had Bruce and Tony, not a single one showed someone getting into that room before Lyra. The camera had been shut down for maintenance, but that was only for a few minutes, and just a few seconds before the girl herself had gone in with Natasha and found that box.

"Yes, 'director.' Whoever gave your niece that orb did it by mystical means. The orb, already in the wrapped up box with the attached note, was all in one place somewhere far from your silly little flying fortress."

"Loki," Lyra warns. "Careful. You may not like him, but he's still my uncle."

Thor places his hand on her shoulder, attempting to reassure her. "Do not fret, Lady Lyra. There's not a thing that my brother will do to your family. You're now our sister, as we've already agreed."

With a meaningful look to Loki, Thor removes his hand. The god of mischief rolls his eyes, resting his chin in his hand as he balances it on his knee. Lyra looks to Bruce as he pokes at the orb a few more times with an electric conductor.

"Well, whatever the giver wanted her to do with it, it's not gonna be happening," he murmurs.

"Why's that?" Lyra asks as she steps up to look at it.

"Because it doesn't do anything," the gamma specialist says with definite annoyance, scratching his head.

"You're wrong," Loki scoffs. "It just won't do anything because we _want_ it to. The only way you'll ever get that thing to work is by leaving it in her care and waiting for the moment when she wants it to _not_ do something. Then it'll work."

Lyra gives him a deadpan look. The god shrugs and slips from his perch on the table, walking over to the join them and pulling the glass ball from its place.

"Hold it," Fury says blandly. "What makes you think that Lyra will be able to get it to work?"

Loki smiles that mischievous smile that Lyra's seen only a few times, one of them being when they picked up those controllers and started bashing those suits to pieces. She can tell that he's thinking of something particularly important, but not so important that he's going to reveal it. Slowly, a plan forms in her head.

"Because, 'director.' This thing was given to her for a reason. Obviously, it will respond only to her," he replies with an arrogant air; as much as Lyra enjoys the god's presence, and sense of humor, he can be rather annoying at times.

And with that, he takes Lyra's right hand and sets the heavy sphere in it. She stares at it for a moment before turning her gaze back to Loki. The smirk on his face lets her know that she's out of some private joke, but that doesn't bother her too much. Even though her uncle warned her against it, she trusts the man. Her eyes lock onto his for a moment, and she can swear she sees a small shred of doubt trying to hide itself behind everything else. Of all the things Lyra is, a fool is one she's not.

With a small smile, she puts her other hand on the sphere and holds it close, thinking deeply. Deep within the wisps of smoke, although no one even notices, two eyes stare up at the girl's face, memorizing every line of it.

* * *

"So, then. Everyone clear on this?"

Pepper sits in reclining chair, her laptop on her legs, eyes on the large TV screen, and a blueprint file pulled up on the oversized screen. Every girl staying in the Avenger's Tower is sitting somewhere in my room, which is the only one Tony doesn't dare enter. Earlier had made sure of that when he walked in while I was changing and… was _dealt_ with.

"Absolutely!" I cheer happily.

"When do we start?" Darcy asks excitedly.

I haven't really gotten to know Jane and Darcy, even though they've been here for a little over a few weeks. So far, the most exciting thing that's happened here in the towers was that battle between the suits. Oh! And the suit test, too. Still not quite sure why he made that.

"Is this really a good idea?" Jane mutters.

"Please! This'll be historic! How many people can say they beat the male members of the Avengers in a battle of the sexes competition? And not only that, but a secret one, too?"

Pepper's grin is contagious and me and Darcy find ourselves with them plastered onto our faces as well. The only person who hasn't spoken up the entire time is Natasha, who just returned from a mission. She'd known about Pepper planning this little spiel while she was gone, and seeing it, I can only assume she has plenty of ideas and input. I mean, she's an assassin! There's got to be at least one idea in that head of hers!

"Who gets who?" said assassin asks suddenly.

Pepper looks up, a little confused, but then her expression changes to realization and she clicks something on her laptop.

"Here's the setup. Jane. I know you don't want to do this, but you're doing it anyway! You spend too much time with chemicals and computers; you need some social interaction. As a result, you get your boyfriend. With the only knowledge of Asgard, you're ideal for it!"

Jane smiles weakly. "Why exactly am I doing this?"

"Because of social interaction!" I scold her. "You don't get enough! As a result, you are officially drafted into this competition."

"Nicely put, Lyra," Pepper smiles happily at me. "And don't worry about overworking yourself, either. Natasha's got Loki as a target. Now then. Darcy? You get Steve. Try not to completely destroy him, though, okay?"

Darcy grins with that cruel glint I've recognized in her stares at the boys lately. She's been waiting for this for a while. Somehow, I'm a little worried about what she intends to do, and whether it'll only pertain to the assigned target, or all of the boys.

"Lyra, you're handling Clint. Everyone, avoid Bruce. We don't want him going ballistic. Jane, Natasha. Work together on your targets. Since they're both Asgardian, Jane should be able to help with the knowledge issue and Natasha's amazing skill should come in handy.

"Darcy, don't forget. No destroying Steve's will. We want to win a competition, not remove all hope from their worlds."

Darcy pouts a little, but I see that glint in her eyes as her mind works behind them. There's obviously a real desire to see just how far she can push the jolly green giant before he truly becomes the _jolly green giant._ Hopefully we won't have to worry about that one.

"Hey, Lyra?"

I turn to a curious gaze from Pepper and smile sweetly. Another one returns my gesture and she asks what's on her mind.

"What exactly is with the boys and you? They took a near instant shine to you."

I startle at the question. Frankly, I'm not too sure. Tony took a liking to me simply because I'm Nick Fury's niece. Clint probably took a liking to me because of that, too. Bruce, Thor, Steve and Loki, though… Well, maybe Steve took a liking to me simply because I'm genuine by nature. When I relay my thoughts to them all, the girls smile easily to me. Well, in Natasha's case, her eyes just soften at me.

"Well, then," I clap my hands and get up. "Have we missed anything?"

"Nope!" comes Pepper's instant reply. "We're all set!"

"Actually, I have a request for everyone," Jane mutters, and we all turn our attentions to her. "If we could just avoid pranking Thor and Loki at first, that'll be amazing."

"Why?" I ask slowly.

Natasha smirks. "You came up with an idea, didn't you?"

The astrophysicist smiles sweetly. "Now whatever could you mean?"

"Spill!" I demand, crossing my arms as a grin spreads across my face.

With a bright smile on her face, Jane launches into her plan. While all of this occurs, I know Jarvis is keeping the security cameras, microphones, and any other Tony Stark related devices offline. It wouldn't be too good of an idea for the boys to learn what's going on behind my door. As far as they know, it's girl talk and girl time.

* * *

**Author's Note/Confession:**

**Obviously I'm doing a shitty job here. Don't hate me too much, please! It's hard to think stuff up when you have no idea just where you need to get to. And before I forget, anyone wanna give me some UH-mazing ideas for the battle of the sexes next chapter? It'd be great help!**


	5. Chapter 5

Battle of the Sexes

THANK YOU! To Tiryn, for a wonderful idea; you'll be seeing the repercussions later on, promise! And to my wonderful Canadian Genius Friend for her input as well! If she ever gets over her fear of the internet, and fanfictions in general (she found a rather… scarring one a few years back), I will point you in her direction!

* * *

Although we understand Jane's plan in general, I don't think any of us can really hold back enough to keep the two demi-gods from noticing. Especially Loki. Maybe that's why we decided to hold off on the battle of the sexes stuff for another week or so while Jane and Natasha figured out the finer details. Hopefully they get it all done before the end of the week so the rest of us can get on with our own plans. My personal plan has to do with polka music, pigeons and several quivers of gag arrows in the training room.

Meanwhile, Uncle has me going on several small and easy missions with Clint. Just to get me accustomed to the idea of leaving without much notice. As a result, I've become like Clint and Natasha, having a duffle bag packed with essentials just in case of a sudden mission announcement.

Right now, though, I'm with Tony and Bruce in the lab, finalizing the suit Tony made for me. Despite his many rants and whines, I refuse to let him refer to me as Iron Girl, since the suit doesn't really look much like Tony's, excluding the general skeleton. Bruce had agreed with me, silencing Tony's vocal ramblings, although that doesn't mean his emotional whining has stopped.

Every time I turn around or walk into the lab, he's right there with his head either a) banged against the table, b) moaning towards the ceiling in an attempt to get a reaction or c) laying on the floor and groaning as if he's dying from depression. Honestly, I think he needs a good lay, but Pepper's battle of the sexes has already started, beginning with an entire week of feminine slumber parties. It's rather hilarious really, when we have Jarvis open the camera feed to check on Tony as he bangs his head against the headboard of his bed frame.

Perks of being the girlfriend: your boyfriend will believe whatever you tell him, so long as it has something to do with feminine issues or quality time. Thankfully, Jarvis has been given orders to store any information he gathers on the plans in a folder labeled 'Carolin.' My AI then takes over by copying all that information into her own system and erasing the original from the Avenger's Tower Mainframe.

"So, then, why am I here?"

"We needed a third opinion on a few last minute weapon modifications. The suit isn't exactly 'Iron Man's' setup. A few of the weapons that should be on here won't fit," Bruce calls from the other side of the lab.

I'm currently slipping on the Mark X of the suit. Why Mark X? Well, Tony took apart the Mark VII when Carolin could no longer keep the suit systems stable. Turns out the wires inside the torso were too close together and the signals running through them were jumping from one to the next. That particular problem finalized the need for covered wires, along with electrical tape.

Mark VIII had a small cooling issue, and I've still got the burn on my shoulder blade to prove it. That was easily fixed by a recalibration… after, of course, a misuse of equipment, which resulted in yet another explosion. Seriously, why is Tony so dead set on giving me my own suit? It's going to get him killed if he and Bruce don't start acting more carefully down here!

Mark IX was a failure simply because Tony said he didn't like the Roman numeral for it, in more… Tony-ish words. Well, at least there wasn't an explosion or even a serious injury that caused that one's failure. And at least he didn't waste materials making it either. These suits are really starting to worry me about his health.

The last piece locks into place and Bruce hands me some elbow and knee pads, also created to match the suit. With everything in proper position, Tony starts walking me through the systems check.

"Cooling… Stable!" the arrogant rich boy cheers.

"Better be," I mutter, gaining a chuckle and smile from Bruce who's standing next to me and observing the suit.

"Weapon signals are working. Energy cells are completely charged for emergency use. Arc Reactor stabilized in less than ten seconds… Everything looks good!"

With a deep sigh of relief, I grin at the retreating Bruce. The two scientists stand at the computer screen, double checking the measurements their equipment had taken. My mind absently wanders to flying through the clouds of my own free will. I've always envied birds and their ability of flight; now I have it too!

"That looks like it's it, Tony. Now she just needs to take it on a field test," Bruce happily says.

My grin widens at them and begin to remove the armor at Tony's suggesting. It's been almost a week since we put off our surprise Boys VS Girls battle. Hopefully the boys haven't caught onto anything yet. As a warm-up, we've all been avoiding the boys, excluding me and Clint, of course. Pepper has actually told me that withholding sex from Tony could have repercussions in the future, but we're not too worried about that at this moment.

"Has that orb done anything, gypsy girl?" Tony calls to me just before I leave the lab.

"Not yet," I sigh without turning back around. "It's just been sitting in its stand without so much as a glint from the lights in my room."

Bruce shakes his head and I can see it in the glass wall's reflections. The same thought I'm sure he's having runs through my mind. Whatever that orb is, it's being far too quiet after everything Loki said. Hopefully that particular brother of mine will lend in some rather much needed advice.

* * *

"To Womankind!"

"Cheers!" The other girls say collectively.

Lyra downs her bloody mary in less than a second, following Natasha closely. How these two are managing to hold down their liquor is beyond the others. Well, Natasha, not so much, but how exactly is Lyra able to do so? Especially considering she herself had claimed to be unable to handle drinking in general.

Truthfully, only Natasha had actually learned that Lyra beat Clint and taken his title during drinking contests between regular people. The other girls in attendance still have no idea about that contest, either, so it's not too surprising that they're in disbelief and shock as she takes another shock of vodka, matching Natasha's fervor for the stuff. It's rather lucky, too, that neither of them will be given a mission for the next two days; they'll probably have the worst hangovers… ever… technically.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the plan. Clint had sworn to help Lyra with archery practice the next few days, after a great deal of pestering from the new agent. Natasha, being the master of steely gazes that she is, managed to somehow scare Loki into accompanying her on a personal mission, aka: operation drag the Norse god around New York City for no reason.

Since the week of preparation Jane needed ends at the stroke of midnight tonight, the two SHIELD agents had decided they needed to do some prep work of their own. When Pepper had been told the idea of fake hangovers, the woman immediately pointed out a club that catered people with some of the highest quality alcohol; Tony's debit card was also point out.

When Darcy heard that the three of them were getting some prep work done for the first battle between the sexes and prank war, she decided it would be a better idea to make it a girl's night out. This would make the idea of the two getting super drunk completely plausible. Especially since all the boys believe that Lyra can get Natasha to do anything – part of Jane's prep work against her boyfriend Thor.

"Easy, you two!" Pepper warns with concern laced into her voice. "Just because you need to drink enough to smell like alcohol doesn't mean you need to truly get drunk!"

Lyra shakes her head quickly with a grin. "We're just getting started!"

Natasha smirks from her seat. "Ease up, Pepper. We're not going to get drunk. Just making sure the smell of liquor is great enough to convince the guys when we get back. Oh," she continues, "and you three will have to pretend to help us to bed. Don't forget that."

Pepper sighs with a soft smile on her lips. Then it turns to a Cheshire cat grin as her thoughts take a quick turn. She digs into her purse, pulling something from its confines with purpose.

"Everyone! Group photo! I'm gonna do some prep work while we're here, too!"

The others smile brightly and everyone groups together, holding up their drinks and smiling as the flash from the camera phone goes off.

* * *

"What the hell?" Tony says to himself as a random picture from Pepper's phone comes onto his screen.

All the girls are grouped together on a couch, holding up drinks for the camera to see. Each one of them is wearing skin tight jeans/shorts/skirt along with revealing shirts/blouses/tops. Dressed up in such a way, Tony can't help but stare in bewilderment and slight approval. Well, except when he sees Lyra's appearance. As a brother figure, the only thing he feels is overprotective and outraged at the amount of skin showing.

"Tony?" Bruce asks warily as the glass door opens. "What're you doing?"

The billionaire waves his hand for the scientist to come closer. Once Bruce is behind the screen as well, and his eyes focus on the picture at Tony's urging, he can't find a thought in his head. Well, he can, but it's mostly to do with him holding the Hulk back from bashing the screen in an angry fit of stress and disgust.

What's worrying to the specialist is that the girl all of the boys and girls of the Avengers group is dressed like she _wants_ to be raped that second. Releasing a shuddering breath in an attempt to calm himself, Bruce slams his eyes shut and thinks of a happy place to be.

"Tony? What is this?"

"It's a picture."

Bruce gives him a 'don't fuck with me' look.

"Right. Sorry… Jarvis! Where are the girls?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm afraid they only told Ms. Lyra's AI of their departure and had Carolin operate the elevator. Only Ms. Potts took her phone with her, as well, which is currently cut off from internet and Stark Enterprises."

"Last known location?" Bruce calls out.

"That would be the women club called _Enchanting_, sir. No men allowed, unless invited. It appears they're on a girl's night out trip."

Tony slaps his forehead in annoyance. "Great… Who wants to tell Fury his niece is dressed for sex and out at a girls club with male strippers?" he says sarcastically.

"I'm pretty sure no one," a rather familiar and agitated voice replies from the speakers. "But I'm sure you'll tell me anyways."

Nick Fury's face pops up in a wireless feed from the hellicarrier. His face, as usual, is set in a scowl, and the one eye that can be seen, is set on the scientists. The rage and distaste is evident in the swirling blue iris as he glares the two men down.

"Now, where is my niece?"

* * *

This is great! Despite my rather revealing clothes, and the rather surprising number of men in this 'women's' club, I've yet to be groped by a single guy! Of course, that may have to do more with Natasha dancing with me. The woman's got one hell of a death glare, and man do I appreciate it. As her latest glare catches my attention, I grin happily and take her hands.

"C'mon! Like this!"

And we start twirling and spinning each other, moving to the beat of the music as the club becomes more lively and active with new arrivals. Pulsating music, our personal photographer, aka Pepper, snapping awesome pictures left and right, Darcy and Jane finally joining the rest of us from the table. And the best part is, I don't have to worry about that stupid suit or that stupid ball here!

Just as Jane and Darcy reach Natasha, Pepper and I, the song changes from loud dubstep to techno. The first thing we do? Well, I take Jane's hand and we start moving like idiots, ignoring the people around us as they laugh at our stupid movements. They don't know us, and they never will, so why bother caring? That's the exact reason I give Jane, actually as she asks about that exact thing.

"Girls!" Pepper shouts about the noise. "One more group photo!"

"And for good measure!" Darcy adds pulling a few boys into photo bombing the shot.

Pepper lets her phone reconnect to the Stark Enterprises systems and the photos she's taken over the entire girl's night out all zoom away, no doubt to Tony's computer. The thought going through my mind is 'Wonder what Uncle would say?'

* * *

The boys on the other side of the screen finally get the shots from the night at around 12:10. The most recent being the girls in the club with a group of boys. All of them have huge smiles on their faces, no matter the picture that's pulled up. And there are quite a few of Lyra and Natasha dancing provocatively. Thankfully, Fury isn't on screen to see any of these pictures, nor is he currently connected to the mainframe.

Bruce and Clint are watching Tony flick through the pictures, both becoming rather red the further their friend gets. Finally, Bruce reaches past the man and closes the window.

"I think that's enough, Tony. They had fun, we get it."

"Anyone want to tell me just how these five girls turned into this? Natasha was even smiling!" Tony starts ranting.

As Tony goes off on a verbal rampage, Clint and Bruce exchange glances. Unsure of what happened to the girls of the tower, they merely shrug it off and get back to what they were doing. In Bruce's case, checking the blueprints for Lyra's suit. In Clint's case, heading to his training room for a few rounds of target practice. Both also happen to be looking for some form of stress relief and distraction. They just hide it better than Tony.

* * *

"So, how exactly are we gonna do this?" Pepper asks from the front passenger seat.

"We walk up to the door," Darcy says matter-of-factly from the driver's seat.

Natasha and Lyra smirk from the window seats in the back. Jane is messing with a ring on her index finger, her teeth biting into her lip, lost in thought. The girls are on their way back to the tower, and it's 12:30 in the morning. Which means it's time for the battle of the sexes to begin. Which Lyra and Natasha plan on doing full force in about ten minutes, the elapsed time it should take Darcy to get everyone back to the tower.

"I meant, how exactly are we going to convince the boys that Natasha and Lyra are drunk?" Pepper says with a roll of her eyes. "Sure, they smell like it, but that doesn't mean the guys will believe us. Especially Clint. He knows Natasha best, and will never believe us when he hears how much alcohol she drank. He's a pro, remember."

"Not as much as I~ am~," Lyra sings in triumph.

"She's right," Natasha agrees. "Beat Clint in their first contest. What was it, 34 to 16?"

"Close. 28 to 15," Lyra corrects her. "But that's not the point. If I walk in there, playing passed out and drunk, they'll believe that Natasha," with a gesture toward the assassin, "also acting passed out and drunk, is just as intoxicated as I am, which will probably be to the likeness of an old Irish man."

"That's racist," Jane mutters absently.

With a shrug of her shoulders, Lyra focuses her eyes out the window, watching the lights of cars fly by the rain covered windows. Her hands, freezing cold from running to the car in the weather outside, lie against the bare part of her thighs. The skin on her arms is covered in goose bumps from the chill, much like her legs'.

In retrospect, she wishes she would've worn something besides Daisy Duke shorts and a half top that doesn't even reach below her breasts, although it at least has some sleeves that loosely drop down to her elbows.. Although the idea behind the outfit had been amazing to her, wearing the actual clothes changed it completely. She just doesn't feel like it fits her, despite Jane, Darcy, and Pepper all assuring her that she looked drop dead gorgeous and ready to burn the club down.

And on top of the idea of it feeling uncomfortably too revealing, it became more and more so as she dance and the loose fabric of the shirt moved, revealing underboob as she twirled and moved with her 'sisters' and 'mother.' Natasha at least understands what the girl meant, having worn something similar to complete a mission before, and stayed close to the girl the entire night, giving off a sense of reassurance for her.

Then came the run through the rain. Although she had been the fastest of all the girls to the car, going so quickly had made her the most drenched… sort of. With the amount of cloth covering her body, Natasha suspects that the rest of them had more rain clinging to them than the newest agent did.

Once Darcy has the car stopped and parked outside the tower's front door, the girls in the front seat get out first. After all, they're supposed to be helping the other two 'drunk' ones in the back get inside. Jane takes the keys from Darcy as soon as she's out, tossing them to Happy with a sweet 'please and thank you' before rushing ahead of the others to open the door. Knowing nothing about their plans, Happy puts it off on the same girl's night out idea.

The girls in question, however, keep up their play acting, warning Jarvis to keep quiet about the two 'drunk' girl's conditions. Her threat had been several batches of coffee to the tower and company mainframe/database.

When the elevator doors open, and all the boys turn to look at them, they avoid making eye contact with a specific god and rush the two limps girls to the bathroom. As the door shuts, Lyra can't help but smirk in victory, especially since she felt two piercing blue eyes staring in disbelief.

* * *

"For the love of-!" Lyra cuts herself off, groaning and crouching as she holds her head.

Clint, wary of the reaction he could get if too close, is maintaining a safe distance, doing his best to _not_ get crotch shot when he's not looking. After all, he's the only one in here for her to take her pain and anger out on. Unknown to him, while Lyra crouches and shakes slightly, twitching a few times, she's got the biggest smirk on her face. In her head, she's imagining the worried look on Clint's face, trying his best not to upset her or hurt her 'aching' senses. It's good to be female; they get to have all the fun when it comes to psychological warfare.

The night before had been filled with fake retching, muttered cursing, and threats to a certain male oriented AI. While the boys talked worriedly amongst themselves, the girls developed their plans even further in the bathroom.

Natasha and Jane had decided that taking _both_ Thor and Loki out into New York City would be a better idea than splitting up at the ground level. So the four of them are currently in Central Park Zoo. The girls happen to be laughing hysterically at the boys that had dropped into the waters of the seal enclosure from a slight, and not so metaphorical, nudge.

Pepper and Darcy had agreed to tackle their tasks together as well. They are currently tracking down every single bottle of liquor in the place and relocating it all to Steve's room. The intended reaction will make both Pepper and Darcy heroes, as they intend to stop the impending argument with some feminine intuition.

This left Lyra's plan, which she had informed them all had changed drastically. Instead of just a plain old hangover, she's added the woman's part of the month in. That's right, boys and girls. Cramps, fatigue, and mood swings have been thrown into the mix! Jane and Pepper thought it a bit overkill, but Darcy believe it to be pure genius and agonized quietly over how she wished she'd thought of it first. Natasha smirked happily and declared that the rest of the girls would get to run into the same 'problem' sometime soon.

Truthfully, they were all looking forward to that little expedition.

"Lyra, you okay?" Clint asks hesitantly as he drops his hand on her shoulder.

She flinches and groans, not really out of pain so much as the fact that she'd spaced off. Leaning onto her knees, Lyra turns and gives him a weak smile.

"Just fine… why?"

Clint debates for a moment the consequences of answering that question with the truth, knowing full well what it could lead to. Not everyone's spent the better part of a few months with Natasha Romanoff on missions; he's one of the few. So he's well aware of what a girl can do when in this state, especially when she still has a bow nocked and in hand.

With a weak smile, he shakes his head. "No reason."

Giving him a skeptical look, she internally cheers to herself. Although she does feel a bit bad about throwing him for a loop. But, hey, he deserves it; he didn't let her get any target practice during missions.

With a deep sigh, Lyra stands back up, shivering slightly, and places her bow and quiver on the training room table. Turning to Clint, she smile warily and says goodbye, claiming to need a nap. Without argument, Clint nods his head vigorously and simply watches as she slips out of the room. On the other side of the door, once it's closed, the scheming girl fist pumps and gets a move on to the next part of her plan.

* * *

The rest of the Avengers are watching Tony and Steve as the verbally abuse each other. It turns out, Pepper and Darcy had decided _against_ stopping the argument immediately. Instead they opted for letting the problem fester for a few days before doing something about it. This made the rest of us girls rather happy, as that meant we'd get to enjoy the whole spectacle.

"So, what exactly is going on?" Clint mutters towards me as I stand next to him.

"Steve hid all Tony's booze in his room."

Clint frowns at the thought. "Not the brightest place to hide it all."

"Yeah," I chuckle in agreement. "Not bright at all. There's way too much of it."

While we watch the spectacle, some of us more in the know than the others, my mind wanders to my scheme in my room. I've got quite a few pool things in there, and it's going to be rather enjoyable when I suggest my idea to Clint and Steve. Darcy and I have been in agreement on this one for a while.

My eyes find the girl in question, and she smiles weakly. That's the signal. Stepping forward, I clear my throat, feeling Clint's stare boring into the back of my head.

One deep breath. "SHUT UP!"

Both boys flinch and turn to me, startled from their anger and stress for a moment. But it returns full force; I see it in their eyes. All I did was change the target for it, but I intend to change their directions immediately.

"That's enough, you two! Act like a married couple later!" Quite a few people snicker at that, and I connect my eyes to Darcy, who nods with a broad smile. "Now then," I continue, crossing my arms. "Why don't you two separate for a while? Steve, you're coming with me and Clint. Tony, go with Bruce and play science."

Before either can blow up again, Darcy and Pepper take their respective targets hands and start dragging them away from each other. Well, in Darcy's case, pulling ineffectively. It looks kind of amusing, but finally the man relents and follows her.

Turning around, I send all three of them into the elevator, but not before whispering in Darcy's ear. With a broad grin on her face, she nods to me from the elevator as the door closes. The boys with her exchange a glance just before it shuts. And now I just need to get everything from my room. This ought to be fun!

* * *

I tackle Clint from behind, my arms filled with fun stuff for this particular place. Unable to _not_ fall over, the man hits the water of the pool with me close behind. My arms release all the things in them, allowing a few pool noodles and some diving sticks to sink or float freely. When I surface, my mouth is filled with water, which Clint fails to notice.

Darcy is pointing and laughing at us both in a bright blue swimsuit, courtesy of Pepper and a shopping spree. Steve is standing by her, smirking at the event as Clint shakes his head free of water. Sucks to be him, though, because I immediately drench it once more with what's in my mouth, then dive to avoid him as he chases after me. Man I can't wait to start using the water guns. That'll be the best part about being in the swimming area.

Why Tony needs a swimming pool when he barely does anything even remotely close to swimming is beyond me. But right now, I'm rather glad he has it; this wouldn't work without one.

There are a few pool chairs set off nearby, and the pool itself is surrounded by concrete. The water starts at three and a half feet at one end for relaxing and slowly deepens to six and a half before reaching a drastic drop that goes nearly straight to 12 feet deep. A low diving board hangs over the deeper end of the water and, because Tony Stark's pool area wouldn't be complete without two, one red slide and one gold slide twist and turn to empty into one side.

About 20 yards wide, the pool is Tony Stark sized, but probably on just so. And being about 50 yards long sure does make it all the more Stark approved. Seriously, does this guy ever go with something a little mellower?

Darcy is still laughing when I surface at the edge of the pool and try to get out. Unfortunately, Clint is faster and he pulls me back into the water, holding me beneath the surface as I struggle against the man's grip. I can just _feel_ the humor radiating off of the other two outside the pool water's edge. Finally breaking free, I surface with a gasp, cursing Clint and his strength as he does the same and smirks at me.

"Any more challenges, kid?"

Although he's called me 'kid' a few times before, I glare at him; this time it seems a little more infuriating. Without warning, I dive for him, dunking his head under water as I laugh. Placing my foot on his shoulder, I use him as a dive board just as he comes up, splashing into the water and escaping any vengeance.

"You little!" is the outraged voice I hear when my head comes back up.

Seeing Darcy and Steve laughing near the edge, I whistle at them, sort of like how you'd whistle at a dog. That gleam is in Darcy's eyes again as she hears this whistle and she takes advantage of Steve's distracted attitude. Stepping behind the super soldier, she puts her full weight into pushing him forward, sending him into the freezing cold waters of the pool. Well, it was freezing when I first got in at least.

Laughing at the spectacle of his pinwheeling arms, I move with the waves and ripples caused by his contact with the surface. Just as he comes back up, Darcy jumps in nearby, sending water over his head. As the two of us laugh at the boys, I see Darcy get pulled under the water's surface, making me laugh harder.

Until I feel my own waist tugged, dragging me beneath the surface as well. If he keeps this up, I'm going to start fighting back soon. And it's not pleasant when I start fighting back; remember when I was in the hospital? 'Any other '-ing' word that meant doing damage' ringing a bell? I hopes so, because I'm about to start ringing Clint's if he doesn't cut the crap!

When I surface again, for what appears to be the third time of a multi-occurring event, I immediately take hold of one of the noodles. Once Clint deems it safe to pop up out of the water, I whack him over the head with it as hard as I can while floating.

"What the hell?"

As he rubs the top of his head, he looks at me incredulously. Then he gets this really upsetting gleam in his eyes and grabs his own. Thus the battle of the pool noodles begins, consisting mainly of me and Clint, until Darcy takes up her own noodle and whacks Steve over the head. It then turns into a two sided war, with plenty of friendly damage.

Half an hour later, I'm in a diving contest against Clint, and barely winning. As he pulls off a triple flip, which I'm astounded by, considering the distance to the water, I can just feel the smugness coming off him.

"Alright, then, birdbrain," I mutter, glaring at the ripples and bubbles. "Let's give this a shot."

Stepping up onto the back of the diving board, I take one deep breath and hold it for a moment. After I release that one held breath, I cartwheel from place, push up off the ground with my arms, land on the end with enough force to propel me upwards and over Clint. He's still swimming to the side, watching me wide-eyed, as I twist and flip and probably barely manage a perfect entrance.

When I surface, I have to take a really deep breath to catch some oxygen; water had managed a way into my lungs. While Darcy clapped excitedly, Clint merely huffed and I grinned at both of them. It's good being me.

* * *

"Tell me again why we're going down to the pool area?"

Pepper is dragging both science bros into the elevator, refusing to loosen her grip, in an attempt to get both of them to socialize.

"Pepper wants us to stop being the awesome geniuses we are," Tony pouts like puppy.

"Oh, please! You two need some quality time with your friends and family!"

"Family?" the boys questioned together.

"Does _'Lyra'_ ring a bell?"

Both boys drop their confused looks and switch to embarrassment. Of course they hadn't _forgotten_ her; she just happened to slip their minds while they were redesigning her suit… again. According to Tony, the bottom piece just wasn't working with the rest of it like it was supposed to, so they switched from skirt to mid-thigh shorts.

Wearing her black bikini with only a pair of shorts on otherwise, Pepper takes both of the boy's wrists and drags them back out of the elevator as it dings and opens once more. The two men don't bother trying to struggle, knowing that they'd regret it later.

And the moment the door to the pool opens, Pepper ducks.

The two she's dragging along are hit and soaked to the bone by streams of water. When they stare incredulously at the two girls holding the water guns, all they can think of is something to the extent of 'what the hell?'

And that is _exactly_ what Tony asked.

"Well, Stark," Lyra began, grinning smugly, "we have started a war down here. And Clint and Steve have already lost."

They step aside to show the two boys looking defeated and deflated on the ground next to the pool. Unable to bear the shame, they lay there, motionless, as their minds work back through what had happened.

After the diving contest, the girls had gone into the bathroom, presumably for girl things, or course, and reemerged carrying two Super Soaker water guns, both filled. When Steve and Clint had noticed, they were lost on what was happening until hit by the freezing cold water.

"That's right boys," Pepper confirms smugly. "And you two have just been drafted for the boy's team."

And with that, the two scientists are shoved into the room and the door locked.

* * *

"Brothers! What has happened to you!?"

Thor and Loki have just walked into the living room, only to find all the other guys drained of energy and lounging haphazardly on the couches. Whereas Thor shows concern for them and their state, Loki merely snickers at the sight of a prank gone horribly right.

"Oh, don't worry, you two," Natasha says from behind them.

As they turn around, they see that the other three girls of the tower had joined them. The smirks on all their faces worry the two Asgardians greatly. Loki momentarily debates teleporting, but knows it would be a bad idea, considering SHIELD is still very much… _annoyed_ with him.

"They only got part of what was coming!" Lyra cheers from the middle of the group.

"And we've got something special planned for you two!" Jane joins in with a sweet and innocent smile.

Thor can only smile back nervously, unsure of what's going on. Loki, on the other hand, can see the smirks and scheming going on behind the innocent airs. And he does not plan on being a target in this little game of theirs.

"Well, you have fun with that," he says, trying to walk away from them all.

Lyra, on the other hand, tackles him to the ground, laughing. "We sure as hell will! And you're gonna help!"

At that, Thor can only stare from one girl to another. On one of the couches, Clint groans and looks up sympathetically. He then tries to do his best to warn them.

"Run fast! And far!"

* * *

It turns out, Asgardians aren't very easy to break. While the other boys had fallen over after a few hours of knocking them into the pool and dunking them – it surprised us that Bruce didn't go Jolly Green – the brothers of Asgard needed a lot more than a few hours of physical exertion. Thor especially. He was like a giant puppy.

Natasha and Pepper took on Loki's boundless mystical energies. They admit it was a little difficult to bypass his magic, until they started drinking my Mountain Dew in the fridge and stole a few spell books from his room. That got him to cooperate nicely, they told me. And man, when they were done with him, he was just like the other four we'd dealt with; drop-dead-exhausted and ready for a few weeks of hibernation.

Thor, on the other hand, wasn't so easy. The cheater used Mjolnir to fly away, like a coward, and we had to track him down. Good thing I took that into account earlier and placed a tracker on his hammer for Carolin and I to follow. Right now, with Natasha and Pepper laughing to us over com-link, we're hunting the blonde god down.

And it just so happens that he's hiding out in a café across the street from me. In the back… where he can't see anyone who walks in… Worst. Hiding. Spot. _Ever._ So, now that Jane and Darcy have joined me, we're standing in a clothing store, devising the first part of our plan.

My collapsible suit is in a backpack that I'm carrying, and they're surprisingly light. Then again, I don't have an entire suit, so it doesn't surprise me _too_ much. It was also surprising that Tony gave up on making my gauntlets have pulsar blasters. He opted to make me a specialized bow, sort of like what I practice with, only 'UH-mazinger,' as Tony put it. Still not sure how that's going to work.

Anyway, I'm rather glad I started wearing my SHIELD uniform underneath it, and that Darcy thought ahead and grabbed some of my clothes for me. With a one size too big jacket and boot cut jeans, I'm ready to tackle that Asgardian.

* * *

**Author's Note:** For those of you that _didn't_ give me any idea, shame on you! But on the bright side, I'm giving you another chance! I reached my personal chapter word limit - somewhere around 6000. So stop being lazy, talk to the lonely review box, and give me a heads up if you'd like to see the god of thunder get owned in a certain way.


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